"The only thing that's ridiculous here is you." The Sand Wraith said coldly, furious at the Air Traited who was doubled over in hysterics.

Hawkins watched in dismay as Hack's short temper rose alongside the Enforcers ever increasing euphoria towards the situation, her mocking laughter causing Hack's Trait to crumble the edges of her stone hewn seat with every snarl.

Odi was trying to intervene but her bouts of coughing were getting worse, sending spurts of black flame onto the molten ground only for Rin's Trait to automatically call it towards her almost like a magnet. Her body jumped in surprise and hurriedly shook her hand loose of the embers tingeing her fingers while she hovered nervously over her unconscious brother.

Hawkins didn't really know what to do about the two headstrong members of this cobbled together group. His Trait was getting worse and kept getting drawn out from his newly summoned grimoire in streams of emotion. Smoke sifted through his hands, his fingers searching through his pockets to try and settle the unnerving feeling that his Trait was slipping out of control. But still Mantis kept going, adding more and more fuel to the fire.

"So you're saying if I believed I could fly, I could? What a load of dragon dung." She snorted, throwing her head up in derision as the Smoke Traited became more and more unsure of himself and of Mantis' sanity.

Thea gave Hawkins an apologetic smile, flitting over to where Odi was sitting and gently showed interest in her input. The Scale Shrieker hacked a final time, shifting a little in her makeshift sling before allowing the Thyraxian to do what she could. A slow, flurry of wind began to rise and settle around Odi's broken wings as she gave a mournful sigh, managing to lessen the strain on her aching back to help clear the air with an explanation.

"With time and practice, you could mould your Trait to match your Agars and fly alongside her if you wanted. It would take a few years and a lot of trust but yes, limitations aside." Odi said hesitantly at first, growing in strength as the Thyraxian buzzed about excitedly between the two arguing idiots.

"Did ya hear that, Manny! You could fly like me!" Thea giggled, delighted at the idea.

Mantis huffed, her pointed ears turning a tinge of red despite her naturally pale skin. She turned away from the group, embarrassed but her Agar was undeterred, whispering in her ear only for Mantis to flick her playfully into the two Firestep wolves who were lazing in the shade behind Odi and Rin. Thea skidded out of their reach, Hazard's deadly paws swatting at the annoying insect spirit. The Thyraxian squeaked in shock, hiding within the spurts of smoke and settled on Hawkins knee.

The Mediator gave her a small smile as the mantis spirit began to turn as red as her Agar. Mantis rolled her eyes at the exchange and soon settled back into her sullen nature. Hawkins took a deep breath and tried to continue the conversation while pacifying an excitable Agar who wasn't even his own. His heart tugged at the familiarity of Thea's behaviour, his mind morphing the little spirit into a sentient ball of smoke. Focusing on the topic at hand was all he could do.

"It's all about how you think about your Trait. You need a weapon? Here's a gun or a gauntlet which can knock a Hammerhead dragon flat. You need a large explosion? Here's one which explodes a roof off the building. It takes a lot of concentration and control to do but it isn't impossible." He said casually, not realising his analogies had hit closer to home than he had first intended.

Odi smiled, grateful for his input as Hack eventually sat down again but the Enforcers weren't so sure. They were still wary of his free forming Trait, Mantis rolling her eyes up at him while Rin fidgeted nervously. Hawkins groaned, realising his mistake as soon as he saw the young girls expression. He had completely forgotten about how she saw her Fire Trait as a weapon of destruction. He inclined his head bashfully, not realising his insensitivity towards the situation but he could see the damage had already been done.

"Like you would know anything about that, Mediator. Last time I checked you couldn't even handle my air shield." Mantis said, interrupting as bluntly as ever.

Hawkins rubbed the back of his neck, ignoring Mantis as he attempted to smile apologetically before mouthing a quick sorry to Rin. The girl blushed, pulling her green jacket closer as if trying to block out the cold. He had forgotten the silver insignia which was lined with her clans chosen colours, recognisable but acted as a threadbare contrast to her dark hair and hazel eyes.

She was exhausted but continued to fight against the lull of sleep, pulling sparks of flame towards her every so often before sending them away. It was a rudimentary trick used by plenty of Mediators on long night watch shifts but to see Rin doing the same? It was a rude awakening to the Mediator who was used to seeing the Swarm as simple thugs and brutes. She was only a teenager and already had to look after not only her brother Cull but a much younger, more unstable Traited like Cricket. She had to mature so much quicker than the rest and it hurt to see her treated in such a way all because of her power. Distracting himself once again from his sombre thoughts, Hawkins fought to stay on track.

"You can lose the ability to summon your weapon very easily which is why Trait is normally kept to the basis of elements only. Standard teachings only focus on the aspect of Strength but it's so much more. It's the combination between partners, Trait and grimoire. Trait literally means personality after all and without Trait we wouldn't be, well us." He said, feeling more and more like an exasperated teacher every time he restarted the conversation.

But at least some of his students were interested. Rin was staring straight at him, taking in every word he said with a small, shy smile on her face. Her collar no longer hid her from view as Mantis kept a mask of impassive annoyance, arms folded resolutely while Hack summoned a smaller mound of rock to rest his cursed leg against. Even the Firestep wolves seemed a little perkier but as usual the Air Traited continued to test his patience.

"How would you know? Trait weapons are a skill meant only for the strong. Only our boss can do that." Mantis said, acting more and more like a child with every well placed sneer of discontempt.

Hawkins hand twitched, clamping them together to stop the flow of smoke away from Mantis as best he could. She had a point. There was no reason for them to believe him, speculation and words only got them so far. All they needed was a shred of proof, of hope that these things they spoke of could be possible.

He looked down at the ground, closing his eyes as the Mediator did his best to block out all distractions and focus everything on his Trait.

Hawkins could almost feel Hack's worried glare marred with disapproval but he held those feelings back, tying them together with threads of smoke. His Trait ebbed and weaved wherever it wanted, slowly filtering out from and endless source like a chimney.

His Trait wasn't flashy or reckless like Fire. It wasn't resourceful and free like Air. It was something all on its own. It was constricting but resolute. It was interchangeable but stubborn. It flowed like the tides and flickered like light. It didn't barrel through opponents or slyly sneak past them. It waited and casually moved ahead to become nothing more than part of the background. It changed forms and gathered strength in soot stained cities and pristine houses protected by hearths and hallows hidden deep within crypts and candle lit window sills.

Smoke was versatile, capable and strong but it could never be truly understood by those who clung to the past. That was his downfall, his vice to bear and it would not let him do as he wished so easily. The past belonged in the past but the Mediator had never been one to let that go unchanged.

Hawkins let out a shaky breath as he slowly unclenched his hands, still entwined by only the fingertips as a hazy grey object came into view. Then another. The Mediator clutched the twin objects desperately, memories clouding his mind as he struggled to form the rest of the weapon. The weapon that had once served him well fit snugly between his palms only to fizzle out in a sea of dust.

The Mediator clapped his hands from side to side, half laughing in annoyance and exhaustion as he rubbed his eyes, the brief puff of smoke being extinguished by his earlier attempt to summon his Trait weapon. Knowing you could but losing the power to do so was worse than never knowing at all. He knew what he could do, but he couldn't bring himself to be free of the guilt.

"You did good, boyo."

Hawkins felt a gnarled hand rest against his shoulder and resisted the urge to jump up in horror only to notice a mildly sympathetic Sand Wraith trying to support his apprentice. Hack gave him a wan smile, awkwardly attempting to pat him on the shoulder without his claws accidently slashing him and losing his balance in the process. Odi smiled weakly at the two, her eyes shining with pride as Hawkins gruffly returned the gesture with one of his own less clawed hands.

"Thanks old man. Still not there yet though." Hawkins said, half heartedly giving him a lopsided grin.

Hack nodded a little too quickly, his features twisting into an unsure grimace but still attempted to keep his composure in front of Odi by folding his arms resolutely.

"Aye. No one expects you to be. It's only been a few months since you left Griffin's Point. It'll take time to figure things out."

Hawkins smile faltered, his grumbling eerily similar to his mentor as he begrudgingly agreed without saying a word. His mind filled with flashes of events, blasts of coloured lights blinding his vision, screams of anger, anguish and outrage as ash filled his nostrils and grief clung to his heart. He was brought back to the present day with the sudden sight of a wide eyed Mantis being proved wrong for the hundredth time that day. A small snicker broke from his daydream as he fought the urge to sneer right back at her, Hawkins Trait returning just as he decided against it. It was still a teachable moment that Odi wouldn't allow to let go to waste.

"See? Hawkins knows he can summon his Trait weapon. He's done it before. But people change just as much as our Trait changes." Odi said, attempting to pierce through the awkward silence from the rest of the group.

Rin was looking intently at her hands as if trying to conjure up her own Trait weapon through sheer willpower but only caused her brothers faint glow of Trait around his hands to appear. Mantis had distanced herself from the group by turning away from them as Thea play fought with Hack who pretended to fling imaginary daggers at the surprisingly well acted Sand Wraith.

"Take this and that, you fiend!" Thea cackled as Hack jolted backwards as if hit by an invisible force.

"Argh! You got me you...you, sinister twig!" Hack exclaimed, clutching his chest in fake anguish.

Hawkins smiled, chuckling under his breath as the two tussled for a few minutes more before Thea had gotten bored and decided to return to her overseeing of the exhausted Scale Shrieker. Odi wasn't looking any better but she did seem a little more cheerful thanks to the two creatures antics and the topic of conversation needing her expertise.

Attempting to shed a little light on the current situation, Hawkins tried to stir things up a bit just to see if anyone would react to any more unusual Trait techniques. The Seven Principles were one thing but if they ever had a chance of understanding the basics, Hawkins needed to find out what they did know.

"Speaking of Trait changing...I'm actually categorized as a Dual Traited thanks to my parents but I wouldn't call myself that." Hawkins said half awkwardly, half embarrassed.

"Dual Traited?" Rin asked, unaware of the term.

The Mediator smiled, glad that his theory was in fact correct and they finally had a place to start. Unfortunately, it meant revealing part of his past he didn't really like to revisit. It was the whole reason Hack was so protective of him and it was why he couldn't produce his Trait weapon. It was a mental block, a towering wall no one could break through or climb above it until it toppled onto you from above.

Odi's shocked expression showed knew full well what he was talking about, her tail twitching in excitement as she fought the urge to blurt out what she knew about it but a glare from the Sand Wraith made her curse and hold her tongue. Hawkins laughed, causing Rin to giggle too as Thea smiled politely before returning to healing Odi's midsection.

It was no surprise that a scholar like Odi would know the name of the technique but Hawkins was convinced that Rin and the other Enforcers would at least know the ability by sight. They had seen and gone up against many a Traited and although they had not known another Tarragon like Cricket they were bound to have seen some kind of unique Trait similar to what he was hoping to explain.

"Go ahead, boyo." Hack said, noting Hawkins jittery disposition.

He smiled gratefully, taking his time to think and reassure Hack that it was OK for him to talk about. His voice lowered to a quiet mutter as he ran through the best possible way to word what he wanted without making a fool of himself while teaching them what he could.

"It's someone who has the potential to use both elements separately, like Fire and Air as well as the Smoke Trait I use now but I've never been able to do so. You have to have a certain type of mindset and well...I don't." He said at last, finishing as awkwardly as he dared, mentally berating himself.

Mantis smirked, her gaze flitting towards the group before returning to stare at the horizon of partially mended apartments and buildings, smoke continuing to filter slowly away from the looming sun. She slouched in her makeshift chair, knees drawn up while resting her arms stubbornly across them. Rin smiled sadly, Hawkins noting her gaze constantly ending up boring into her back as if attempting to force her to turn around and just look her in the face.

"I don't know if it means I'll ever be able to or if my Trait is just limited to smoke but at least I know I have the potential to do something about it if I choose to. Right now, I'm happy with the way my Trait is and my Agar is too." Hawkins said, much happier with his wording only for his heart to plummet with grief.

Wisp. No matter how hard he tried his thoughts always ended up focused on him. Hack knew how insecure Hawkins was without his Agar, constantly teasing him as if trying to distract him from the missing Trollian and his lack of company. But he wasn't as strong or as stubborn as the Sand Wraiths. He was only a Traited and you only needed to look at historical texts to know how weak willed they were.

His Trait slowly began to rise from the ground, no longer laguid and able to sit idly by. The reminder of its missing partner had caused the smoke to spike, its path endlessly stretching and searching for Wisp even though it's owner knew he was long gone. Hawkins put his head in his hands, the sunlight causing his head to ache as his Trait continued to frantically search much to Mantis' annoyance.

"Oi! Watch it, smoke boy!" She yelled back at him, attempting to swat away an overly curious tendril coiling around her foot.

Hawkins barely heard her, the dread of losing yet another Agar and allowing history to repeat himself clawed at his heart as he struggled to focus on his breathing. He could barely hear the Sand Wraith's gruff but encouraging words, the feeling of a rough skinned claw on his back and the continuous sound of coughing sending his mind into a never ending spiral of guilt and loss and anguish he didn't know he could get himself out of again.

Hawkins Trait clogged his ears, his vision and left him with nothing but his doubts for company. His smoke wasn't supposed to be this way. It was supposed to change effortlessly from grey to red to white. Smoke to fire to air and back again, beautifully seamless as it clung to kind hands who never left his side. Until he did.

He remembered how his mother cried, how he wished to the Laia for his Trait to be exactly like his father's to make his mother smile again. Only it didn't. The only thing that was the same was only a part of what his father was. He couldn't do it and his mother couldn't accept it. Hawkins couldn't stop the flood of smoke from entering his room, choking his mother and overwhelming his senses. He used to hate the sight of fire. Where there was fire, there was smoke. Now when there was a fire, there was a dragon desperate to save him. That's what he did. What he always did. Until he didn't.

His mother blamed herself. Sent herself away to keep him safe with a new Agar and a new name. Sent him to an outcast place with outcast people with Traits which weren't like his even though she said they were. They never were. An Agar which she said was like his last but never truly was. He never wanted it to be the same. So it wasn't.

"Hawky?"

A small, uncertain voice broke the Mediator out of his stupor, her lithe body resting gently on his shoulder, her soothing Trait attempting to heal more than just physical wounds. Hawkins sniffed, wiped his eyes with the dust ridden jacket and allowed the nervous Thyraxian to give him the tiniest of hugs, her laugh making him smile just a little brighter than normal.

"Thanks, Thea. I appreciate the concern but...I'm alright now." He said, ignoring the death glare from the silver haired Enforcer as she sourly sat down next to Rin just to keep an eye on him.

Hawkins awkwardly adjusted his gaze towards the rest of the group, noting how the grimoire in his pocket moved every time he did as if drawn to the others like a magnet. A cold sweat began to make him feel nervous at the uncertain prospect of such a dark and dangerous grimoire latching on to one of them like a leech. Odi coughed politely, Hawkins shaking his head as if to clear his ratty hair from fleas and gestured to Odi to continue the discussion. Hells knew how much he needed the distraction.

Odi nodded, nudging her head to the side to coax the Thyraxian to return to Mantis. Thea gave a little giggle, pretended to huff and pout just to tease her jealous Agar and flitted back onto her knee. Mantis raised an eyebrow at Odi, her eyes narrowing towards Hawkins and Hack before folding her arms and giving a mild look of interest, allowing the Scale Shrieker scholar to continue with her explanations.

"Most Traited have one track minds. Fire blasts, water freezes, lightning fries and rock smashes. But the more we know about Trait as a whole, the more our Trait enhances our capabilities." Odi said, her quiet, calming voice washing over them.

Hawkins watched as Odi shifted her position a little, seeming a little more relaxed while the Firestep wolves continued to keep watch over Cull and his sister. They had begrudgingly sidled over to him and shared their warmth as much as they could, noting the colour slowly returning to his face. Hazard's head nudged against Rin's hand as she tried to thank him without subconsciously draining his flame, her face scrunched in concentration. Blaize curled up near Cull's chest, her amber mane slowly ebbing towards his chest as a vain attempt to awaken him despite their grievances with one another.

"Many Traited only know the bare minimum and are afraid to experiment because nowadays they see something new or unknown as 'bad' or 'uncontrollable' thanks to the demons. It doesn't help anyone, especially those with more complex Traits outside the standard spectrum of knowledge."

Hawkins nodded in agreement, knowing full well how important the existence of the Seven Principles was for a kid like him. His Trait was always classed as being 'weird' or 'stupid' because he couldn't produce a flame so hot it burned a Sea Screamer or a wind so strong it forced a Silverwing to reroute its course. The Principles provided a like minded goal to achieve, something to strive for within his reach and allowed him to slowly but surely improve and eventually outwit those who knew nothing of how complex their Trait could truly be.

"But we're here and we proved them wrong. We use the Principles as best we can to fully understand and keep developing our Traits to suit us, not anyone else. Those poncy elitists can go stuff themselves if they don't think we're gonna keep finding new ways to crush them. Only way to do it is to keep trying." Hack interjected, inspiring hope in his own gruff and matter of fact way.

Rin's eyes went wide, almost falling off her stony seat in shock.

"So, I wouldn't have to rely on Cullian or Hazard to use their fire to redirect it? I could create my own without hurting them?" She said rapidly, asking several questions at once as she tried to confirm what the Mediators had told her.

"With time, yes." Odi smiled, kindly.

Rin grinned, delighted at the thought but Mantis shut her down with a defiant shake of her head.

"We don't have time to think like that. This is all theory and conjecture. If we don't do something now our brains will be mush by the time Cricket gets here."

For once, the Air Traited was right. A sombre mood descended on them all as the quiet hush of the mid morning sun had now descended into an uncertain future for the citizens of Axis. He had no idea why Cricket hadn't returned after being blasted only a few ways away but whatever the reason was, sitting here guessing wouldn't help especially when he had no idea what kind of evacuative state had been ordered if at all.

Hack's tail swished about in thought as Odi tested her flame on the gravel in front of them, allowing Rin to nudge the flame toward her and fashions a little fireball complete with a small cluster drifting smoke for those who had need of it. Hawkins chuckled to himself, calling the smoke towards them to settle between his fingers and surround the flame in a protective bubble, letting it bob about on the molten surface Odi had created.

Bit by bit, everyone edged closer to the flame as the sun began to dip a little more beyond the shadow of the Undercity, their tattered clothes becoming less and less of a comfort while the absence of an arriving enemy keeping them on edge for any signs of commotion.

A stomach growls.

Bursts of laughter echo around the clearing lit in semi darkness, thankfully long abandoned due to rumours of a haunted bookshop with an unsavoury owner. Tales of bravery and stupidity are passed around with bits of bread and slightly chewy jerky. No one complains until at last someone speaks up and the cycle starts again.

"I hate to say it but angry ears is right. Even if everyone was at full strength, the likelihood of us working together to stop this blind bandit and getting out alive is slim to none without some kind of backup." Hack said between mouthfuls, his claws tugging at the long strips of overly salted meat and whatever else was in Hawkins pockets.

Mantis raised her head proudly, her section of bread slightly nibbled as she eyed the food left over for Cull in a small stone cup sealed with a lid. Odi and Thea giggled as Hawkins snorted realising the Air Traited and herack of understanding.

"Of course I- Angry ears? My name is Mantis, you lizardman brute!"

Hack huffed as Rin casually choked on a bread crust thanks to Mantis' impression of a sunburnt dragon, her cheeks blazing with anger and embarrassment while the headstrong duo continued to clash.

"And my name is Hack but I doubt you elves would bother remembering with your giant ears blocking any common decency from entering that damn balloon you call a head!" Hack said, demanding to be heard as his forked tongue stuck out in indignation.

Mantis continued by threatening to yank the aforementioned appendage clean off along with that 'eyesore' of a leg while Hack decided to make fun of her less than average ears which although were hidden by her long silver hair should be pointier than that and maybe she should get them sharpened by a blacksmith. Although Hawkins continued to chortle at their childish insults, complete with threats of headbutting and arm wrestling, both Odi and his Trait were unamused. His smoke was currently trying to move the now dwindling flame just because it needed something to do and in turn was causing Odi's coughing fits to worsen.

"I could try and use the rest of my Trait to heal either Odi or Cull but I don't know what that could do to help..." Thea offered in a small voice.

Hawkins smiled, grateful for the Thyraxians kind hearted nature despite Odi's hacking and her Agar's habit of being over zealous.

"Any amount of healing you could do is a gift straight from the Laia, Thea. It's my Trait that's the problem." He said, attempting to gather his smoke into a familiar oblong shape only for it to fall apart at the seams, his grimoire no closer to rematerializing.

Thea nodded politely, blushing as Mantis groaned at more than the soppiness of his statement, glaring at him before ushering Thea begrudgingly towards Odi. Hawkins merely raised an eyebrow and sighed at her attitude only to receive a sharp kick from Hack only for him to be nudged towards not only Mantis' reaction but Rin's as well. The two females were now chatting quietly, leaving one hand on their Agars as if protecting them from something. Or someone. Despite their forced contract it seemed they were very careful to keep their Agars apart even though they were in the same gang.

It was then that Hawkins realised why Hack had bickered with her. Why Mantis had been so hostile towards him. It was all for Thea. Hack had purposefully called Mantis out numerous times to see whether or not her Agar would defend her or at least be allowed to comfort her. Meanwhile Hawkins had done the complete opposite by buddying up to her Agar and getting angry or ignoring Mantis' attempts to start an argument to show his bad side to the little Thyraxian.

He was an idiot. Of course Mantis was rude towards him and overly protective around Thea. Not only was his Agar missing but his Trait was visibly affected and Thea had blindly given her help without thinking of the complications. That paired with his 'heartfelt declaration' of him being Dual Traited meant he was a prime suspect for any suitable Agar sitting near him be it Firestep or Thyraxian.

Without realising it, Hawkins had tried to coerce all of the Enforcers Agars into a contract.