"Talus!"

And like that, Eldrazi was violently flung awake for the second time that day. Although as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from their eyes, he couldn't complain as he remembered some of the remnants of Gavin's dream. The boy didn't need to think about that girl again. She was better off forgotten, much like anything else.

Instead, both he and Eldrazi were far more curious about the Aoife continuing to bellow Talus' name, the word nearly a high-pitched screech with the amount of tears he could hear behind it. Instantly, he was up and out of bed, with Selatan quickly jumping behind him to throw open the door and bolt down the hallway. At the very end of it, in front of Weiss' room, stood Talus, eye wide and hands shaking.

'Why is she screaming? What did you do?' Selatan was mouthing to him, staring him down as Talus only shook his head.

"I swear I don't know," Talus whispered. "But I think this is where I die."

"What? No." Eldrazi shook their head. 'Whatever 'appened, I'm sure it can't be that bad." So saying, he turned the handle.

The door only opened an inch before he saw black wings being flung in front of it, feathers bursting from the crack as if they were too, wanted to escape whatever horrors were trapped inside.

"Whoever is there, firstly, I do not have my coat on. Secondly, I implore you to stay out before I have yet another surgery on my hands."

"Surgery? You better learn to revive the vaelocing dead once I get my hands on him, Weiss!"

"I'm not letting anyone here die over hair, Aoife."

"Hair?" Talus' brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything with hair!"

"Ah!" It finally clicked for Eldrazi, and he brushed past the confused others with a smile. "That's because that would be on me. So Aoife, 'ow are you likin' the new cut?"

"New cut?" Selatan turned to him, and Eldrazi could feel Gavin's confusion turning into a tight panic. But he couldn't tell why. Perhaps it was because they couldn't see his work. After all, it looked rather nice, and besides that, it was funny.

"What?" she thundered, and more scuffling sounded from inside the room.

"Weiss, move aside before I roast your feathery arse!"

There was no argument this time, and the door was flung open to reveal a ragged Aoife, eyes completely wild as fire danced down her limbs. But, Eldrazi was instead pleased to find everyone's gaze on her now shoulder-length hair, waved spikes curling away from her strong features like the flames she wielded. She still had that telltale cowlick, those three strands sticking off of her head like a feathery crown, but Eldrazi hadn't wanted to touch that. It looked good on her, he noticed, far more than she had with the arm-long locks she was tearfully clutching in each hand.

"You did this?" she asked, voice low.

"Well o' course?" Eldrazi moved his hands in the smallest of shrugs. "Who else 'ere 'as the skill to make a cut that nice?"

But, instead of answering the question, a flash of heat shot past the side of his face. Only then did a chill run down Eldrazi's spine, freezing him in place as Aoife lunged forward. "You ruined my hair!"

"Aoife!" Talus ran to hold her back, and Selatan stepped forward, glaring down at Eldrazi.

"Why?" he demanded, amber eyes flashing in warning. His hands curled into fists, and Eldrazi could sense Gavin imagining them easily lifting to pound their head in. "Why did you do it?"

"Because?" Eldrazi looked between them all. His lips twitched at what a funny sight it was, to have Weiss grabbing Aoife's arms from behind, Talus holding her back from the front, and that wasn't even counting Aoife. She was the most hilarious, holding her old hair as if it could be stitched back on, and her face... oh her face, so contorted in pure rage. He turned back to Selatan, covering their mouth with a hand to snort all while Gavin recoiled within their chest. "Why not?"

"What do you mean, why not?" Selatan roared, and as the sounds of people opening their doors to look started to fill the hall, Weiss frantically waved them all inside.

It was a squeeze, fitting five bodies in one room, but not as tight as the Demon digging his sharp nails into Eldrazi's arms. That too, was funny. Was that supposed to reattach the hair? All that did was hurt, and that was one of the greatest things about being alive. Yet, useless as it was, Selatan only held him tighter, shaking him back and forth. "What makes you think it is in any way all right for you to break into her room, while she's sleeping, and... do anything to her? What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Eldrazi blinked at him, a small, uneven laugh coming out of their mouth. The humour was starting to die away as he continued to glance about, at everyone so... bothered. Couldn't they see the moment was over?

Why are they making such a big deal out of it?

He raised a brow. "You all know 'air grows back, right? Why are you so worked up?"

They only continued to stare, Aoife's rage dying down to an almost dumbfounded confusion. Finally, Weiss broke the silence with a quizzical glare. "You... truly can't see what's wrong with what you did?"

"No?" Eldrazi frowned. "Call me a classic Demon, but the notion struck me, and it seemed like somethin' interesting to do. And so, I did it." The smile returned as he suddenly recalled the minute before. "And all of you were admittedly rather entertainin', so thank you. Are we done now?"

"Done?" Selatan asked, voice still annoyingly loud. "No, we aren't done! I'm so sick of you hiding behind being a Demon while acting like a lunatic! We don't do this! Stop saying we're like this. Even Talus knows better. It has nothing to do with you being a Demon; something is just wrong with you!" His face was close now, spittle hitting Eldrazi's cheeks as he continued to watch blankly. "And if you don't apologise right this instant, you can kiss this mission goodbye!"

Eldrazi's mouth fell open, and curious, he felt for the teen's Will, but it tasted soured, as if by vinegar. He wasn't joking in the slightest. He... meant it. Something was wrong about what he'd done, something that the rest could see, and he could not. Worry tugged at his heart, brows furrowing. Gav, is it just them, or did I do something wrong?

There was a long pause. "If I actually have to explain this to you, it's a problem."

What? It couldn't be right, but Gavin was annoyed too, at least as much as he would let him be. But this is just like makin' you spit, or wearing a shirt inside out, or... anything else.

"No. No it isn't, and if she doesn't forgive you, we just lost our only chance of saving Cynwrig." His voice was tight, barely controlled. "You put his life, and all of Tachir's victims, in jeopardy because you got bored again. This is absolutely worse, and I can't tell if you're playing dumb right now, or actually can't get it through your head, but either way, fix it. Now."

Eldrazi seized, hands trembling as he stared off through Selatan. It didn't make sense. All he'd done was change something small, temporary. A measly year later and her hair would be back to normal, and besides, it looked nice. Perhaps it was entering her room, because Selatan had listed that before, but the more Eldrazi pondered it, he felt as though sneaking up with scissors and lopping it off in public would've led to pretty much the same result.

Is something wrong with me? He'd wanted to do something, and done it. In fact, he doubted that even if he knew how... unkindly everyone was going to take it after the initial shock, he wouldn't have– no– couldn't have stopped himself. It happened all the time, a simple urge, a random idea that he had to fulfil, and there was no stopping it until it was done. Was that... a problem?

An electric feeling was crawling through him now, the same unsettling sensation as when the Demon god had tipped his horned head to ask that one, simple question.

"How much have you forgotten?"

And as he stared at Aoife shaking, in tears from how she looked, he couldn't help but be filled with the sense that this had happened before, with him standing there empty, unsure of how it all went so wrong.

"I'm... sorry."

Aoife barely turned her head, eyes more focused on unclenching her hands to watch the brown locks tumble from her grasp and onto the floor. "What the vaeloc, Eldrazi? Just... what the vaeloc?"

"I don't know." Eldrazi shrugged. He didn't have much more to offer than that.

"Urgh," Aoife groaned, and all the energy seemed to leave her as she turned around, flopping onto Weiss' bed as if she planned to never leave it.

"Um, Aoife." Talus warily reached out to shake her shoulder. "We can't just stay here."

"He's right," Weiss agreed. "We've no doubt raised enough questions from the shouting alone, and besides that, I'm sure you all are being chased for stealing the Relic you already have. Staying in any place too long with crimes like yours is a death sentence."

"I don't want to go," she mumbled through the pillow.

"Well clearly, some people here don't care about what you want," Weiss pointed out, and Eldrazi didn't like the way the man's silver eyes glowered at him from the bedside. "Come on. Get up. You'll feel better for it anyway."

"Fine," she grumbled, and she pushed herself up, Selatan immediately moving to their side as they headed for the door. The only thing they stopped for was to wait for Weiss to put on his bird-like mask, finishing off the ensemble with a brimmed, black leather hat, and with that, they walked towards the thankfully empty stairs and into the tavern's lobby.

"You know, I think it looks pretty good on you, Aoife," Talus mentioned as he held open the final door out to the cold, Ulnter countryside. It was incredibly clouded out, as if it were due to rain soon: a fact Talus seemed to appreciate as he stepped out, checking to make sure his pale skin didn't burn before continuing. "It could've been worse."

"The point is I didn't ask for it," she growled, and Talus immediately shut up, instead fiddling with the embroidered, grey hem of his sleeve.

And once again, Eldrazi found himself staring through everyone at the cobblestone ground, no one at his side as the grey and white houses passed them by. Was that the point? He continued to mull it over. But if she 'ad told me she 'adn't wanted it cut, then I would've just wanted to do it more.

"And here I thought you cared about them more than me."

Ah right. For a moment, he'd forgotten Gavin could hear him, although given the miffed, cooled energy running through their bond, he hadn't really expected the boy to speak much anyway. Still, at least that allowed him to explain himself before he could be convinced he was out of his mind. But I do care about her. I didn't think that was gonna 'urt 'er feelings. For long.

"Knowing you, I honestly doubt that would've changed anything. You still would've put what you want first."

That. That sentence was what carved a knife through his heart, making him halt in place while the others continued to follow the street ahead. Their heart hammered in their chest. Is... that how you feel about me?

A sigh echoed through his thoughts, and he could see an image of the boy rubbing at his temples. "No. I mean, I get annoyed, like when you almost make us lose the exact thing we've been fighting for this entire time, but... I know you care about me in the end." The bond warmed again. "You've always put me first, at least."

Well, that'd be because I love ya. Despite himself, their lips drew into a content smile, a sharp, satisfied breath leaving their nose as he stared up into the sky. If everyone else was mad at him, then that was fine. The point was that Gavin wasn't, and that was all that mattered.

"What's wrong with you?"

He pushed the echo of Selatan's voice away. The answer was nothing, as far as Eldrazi was concerned. What had he been thinking before, that he couldn't control himself? Ridiculous. He'd clearly just been having fun, and it wasn't as though he ever planned to stop. Life was far too long and dull for that, and so long as Gavin was by his side, then it was fine. His tail flicked behind them, pleased as he continued to think it over. Acting like this was simply how he was, and he rather liked himself, so if he wasn't comfortable with changing, then how could it be wrong?

And besides, eventually time would pass and none of this would matter. That was how it always went. All he needed to do to earn forgiveness was wait.

"So, you're really going to help us?" Selatan asked, finally turning to Weiss. It was almost funny to Eldrazi, how far the wandering apothecary towered over the Demon, far more than Aoife.

The man cocked his head. "That is what I said, is it not?" And yet, he continued to walk in the same, aimless direction as the rest of them, being absolutely unhelpful.

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that?" Selatan prompted. Recently, he'd pulled a map out of the pouch on his belt, but as he continued to scan it over, Eldrazi couldn't help but notice the circle Róhain had left behind on it was vaguely large, and rather smudged by this point.

Weiss hummed. "Do you know what I use the Goddess' Will to do?"

"Somewhat." Selatan glanced about, but there were hardly any people around, and if they were, they were mainly bustling in and out of the shops of the village they'd found themselves in. It was vastly different from what Eldrazi remembered, but he could still assume that much like hundreds of years ago, Demons were mainly manipulated into working for the government to alleviate their debts, or stuck to the wilderness and dealt in favours to avoid such a fate. Either way, they weren't hanging around to listen to a bunch of random people, a fact which seemed to relieve Selatan enough to continue. "But I don't know how seeing the present is useful for seeing through much more than illusions, and I shouldn't have to point out that this is far from your homeland, bird."

"That is not my home," Weiss told him curtly before clearing his throat, and Eldrazi didn't need the man to remove his mask to tell how annoyed the comment had made him. "And besides that, it's not for simply seeing through illusions. It's for seeing everything exactly how it is. How you are faring, externally and internally, if anyone is near enough to hear me, if there are threats nearby, ill intentions, traps, hidden objects that need to be found..." He ended on the last note, more than hinting.

Selatan tapped his foot, arms crossing as he came to a stop. "So why aren't you looking for it then, if you want to help us as much as you say you do?"

"I've yet to be compensated."

"Compen—" Selatan cut himself off, but he still gawked at the man in shock. "We're wanted!" he whispered fiercely. "How much money do you think we have to spare?"

The man continued to walk, not even turning to look. "Hopefully enough to cover the expenses you've already racked up, as well as whatever aid you'll be requiring from me next."

"Look, Weiss, was it?" Selatan pinched at the bridge of his nose. "We never asked for your help. If I dare to trust Eldrazi, it was an offer that you made to us."

"It was." He nodded. "Would you rather I take it back?"

Talus jumped, waving his hands frantically. "Um, I don't think you should. We need all the help we can get."

Weiss nodded again. "I agree. If this morning was any indication of how well you all work together, I don't see you making it through this alive as it stands right now."

Selatan palmed his face, dragging his fingers across it in aggravation. "All right, then do you have any schuld we can take off your hands?"

"I don't trade in Demon currency, and besides, your logic makes no sense. Wouldn't taking negative coins from me land you in the same predicament you're currently in? That is, putting yourself in a debt you never plan to pay off?"

Selatan's face shot red, and Eldrazi's eyes flickered between them, trying hard not to burst out laughing again. Maybe he did like this Weiss fellow.

"Fine!" Selatan chirped, although it was more than sarcastic. He dug a hand into his pouch, taking out a handful of gold coins that he dropped into Weiss' held out glove. "Is that enough?"

Weiss gave it a quick once over. "For the surgery, yes."

"For the love of—" Aoife didn't finish her sentence, instead reaching into the pockets of her own, dark grey coat to pull out another handful. It was placed in the glove far less gently. "And that better be enough."

A small hum escaped the mask, and then he deposited the coins into his pocket. "I suppose. Very well."

With that, he stepped forward, looking at the countryside around them. Eldrazi couldn't see the slight shift in eye colour with the man's mask in place, but he could pick up the slight, unnatural whisk in the air around them, and the warm, gentle feeling of the All-Mother's Will. "Now, I noticed you had a map on you. Is there any general area I should be looking at?" he asked, and wordlessly, Selatan handed him the parchment.

"Ah, the castle."

He turned around, walking as he continued to inspect it. Eldrazi had no clue what it looked like to the man, but to him, it was the same as ever: A large, stony building holding no doubt the same steely, straight-laced king that had hired him as a spy, all those years ago. Of course, that had been after the chains and the threats and the orders to bow before they all realised he'd be doing nothing of the sort. Or maybe that had been before. So many good memories, that place. Hard to keep track of them all.

It was still quite far off in distance, but eventually, Weiss seemed satisfied, dropping his magik, yet never stopping his same, brisk pace.

"Well?" Aoife asked, reaching to poke his shoulder.

"Oh, it's in there," he answered, seemingly more interested in readjusting the collar of his cowl so it sat evenly over his bony shoulders.

"Great," she said flatly. "Where in there?"

He held out the glove again.

Aoife drew in a deep breath, the smile on her face nauseatingly sweet as she looked up at him. "Weiss, if you ask for so much as even one more copper, all of your funds will be going towards buying a new coat to hide your wings once I burn the one you're wearing, with you inside it."

"Ah, so damaging one's personal items is a shared trait within your group. Lovely." Still his hand retreated back to his pocket. "There's a large source of magik located in one of the towers. I'll point it out more clearly once we're closer. That is, if you all are over yourselves enough to actually carry it out."

"Oh yeah, we totally got this," Talus agreed, far more emphatically than needed. "All of us."

"Exactly! Because we're just the greatest, most friendly group to ever exist," Eldrazi explained, throwing an arm over Talus, and the boy quickly picked up on the idea as he wrapped his own over their shoulders. After that, all that was left to do was shoot the others a reassuring smile as Eldrazi focused on the girl. "Isn't that right Aoife?"

But, it seemed she was still angry, because she did nothing but glare until her eyes flicked to the ground, feet finally moving forward.

"Let's just get this over with."

~~~~~~~~

Hi. Awgy here. Uh... 

*Checks my notes.*

Please don't hate my boy? He says he's sorry? He's confused? He's trying his best? (He is not and never will.)

Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you liked the chapter. Here's to more fun shenanigans and their consequences! Cheers! : D