Beth stood outside with her arms folded. She had given the duo a period of time to get the mushroom and return to see how it was processed. But due o their little adventure, they exceeded the time alotted and naturally, Beth was displeased Her sharp eyes flicked to the frost crusting their boots, the damp hems of their collars, and the faint, lingering grin on Jamie's face—like someone replaying a favorite memory. Beth's mouth tightened.
"You two," she said, her voice sharp as ground glass, "were sent for Winterlace, but it seems you had other plans in mind."
Jamie opened her mouth to respond.
Elias stepped on her foot.
Beth noticed that too.
They were ushered inside, Wilcris shutting the door behind them. Warmth rushed over Elias all at once, making his fingers sting as feeling returned. Beth waited. The silence stretched, heavy and expectant.
Elias produced the Winterlace.
He wasn't sure why he had expected approval. Or even relief. Beth's reaction was immediate and fierce. She snatched the pale threads from his hand, held them up to the lamplight, and then turned on him with a look Elias had only ever seen when someone brought her spoiled stock.
"This is not what I asked for," she snapped.
Elias tried to explain. "It was growing near a frozen pool, under a tree. Close to the Iron Forest. I thought—"
"That," Beth cut in sharply, jabbing a finger at the specimen, "is a cold-pool strain. It looks similar, but its clotting response is unstable. I need the stream strain. The one that grows near moving water."
Then her words slowed.
"Near the Iron Forest?" she repeated, much more quietly.
Jamie, completely unaware of the shift in tone, nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Right near the edge. And we saw this naked old man—"
Elias punched her in the shoulder. She punched back.
Beth's face drained of color.
She set the Winterlace down as if it might bite her. "An old man?" Her voice trembled, just slightly. "Did he touch you? Hurt you? Did he say anything strange?"
"No," Elias answered quickly. "He just ran. He was angry."
"Very angry," Jamie added helpfully. "He said 'bloody' a lot."
Beth inhaled sharply and pressed a hand to her chest. For a moment, she looked older than Elias had ever seen her. Smaller. Afraid.
"Not all people in this world are good," she said slowly, each word measured. "Some wear smiles. Some look harmless. That doesn't mean they are."
Wilcris cleared his throat gently. "Beth. The children are fine."
She rounded on him instantly. "And whose fault would it have been if they weren't?" Her glare sharpened. "You let them roam too freely. You always have."
Wilcris raised his hands in surrender, though there was a trace of amusement in his eyes. "I'm not even the one who sent the out."
"Huh, did you say something?"
"Nothing."
"Better" she shot back with a scoff and turned away.
Elias studied them.
'These two confuse me.'
The door opened.
Roric stepped inside, snow dusting his shoulders. Jamie gasped and launched herself at him without warning. He caught her easily, laughing as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He noticed the look on Beths face.
"All right, all right," he said, ruffling her hair. "What did you break this time?"
Beth turned toward him, her exasperation carrying far more than simple irritation. "They chased an old man to the edge of the Iron Forest."
'Eh?'
Jamie leaned back just enough to look up at him. "He had blue eyes and grey hair," she said brightly. "And he swore a lot. Most of it had 'bloody' in it."
For a split second, something flickered across Roric's face—recognition, or perhaps memory. His eyes unfocused, as though he were staring at something long buried.
Professor...
Then he shook his head, the weight settling back onto his shoulders.
"Enough excitement for one day," he said, sounding tired. "You're going home. Both of you."
Jamie pouted, but didn't argue.
Elias lingered.
As they turned to leave, a strange sensation prickled at the back of his neck—the unmistakable feeling of being watched. He glanced toward the door.
Someone stood just outside.
Lyle.
He didn't come in. He didn't knock. He simply waited, half-hidden by the doorframe. He had been listening. When he realized Elias had seen him, his gaze slid away and he disappeared into the street. Something about it unsettled Elias. He couldn't say why. It might have been nothing.
But as they left, one thought refused to fade. Even as he went home and was floating in his bathtub.
'Now that I think about it, Lyle and Jamie have the same eyes, a vibrant Aqua Blue though his were a little dull.'
Elias couldn't decide whether that meant nothing at all—or far too much.
Steam fogged the small bathroom, water sloshing softly as Elias sat in the tub, finally letting his shoulders relax.
That peace lasted exactly three seconds.
The door creaked open.
"Hey," Jamie said casually. She was naked and moved towards the tub.
Elias screamed.
Water went everywhere as he scrambled upright, arms flailing, nearly slipping on the slick floor. "J–JAMIE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE, WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?!"
"I did say we would bath together." she said matter of factly.
"No we most certainly will not!" he yelled.
"Why are you getting so worked up. Theres nothing you have that I havent seen before."
"Thats not something a girl should say."
"But its the truth."
Elias didn't respond instead grabing a towel and bolting past her so fast he nearly clipped his shoulder on the frame.
Jamie watched him flee down the hall, dripping and panicked, then shrugged. "I didn't know you were that shy."
By the time Elias was dressed and under his blankets, face burning into the pillow, he was seriously reconsidering every life decision that had led him here.
The door creaked again.
He tensed.
Jamie slipped in, wearing his blue jacket over an inner blouse and some dark shorts. She closed the door with her foot and plopped onto the edge of the bed.
"That wasn't cool," she said.
"What are you even doing here?" Elias muttered, voice muffled.
She leaned back on her hands. "To spend the night, what else? Why did you run away, I would have washed your back."
He rolled onto his side, red to the tips of his ears. "You can't just walk in like that!"
She tilted her head, genuinely confused. "Why not?"
"…You know....like....ugh, never mind.Just—go to sleep."
Instead of answering, the mattress dipped as she shifted closer.
"You're weird," Jamie said cheerfully. "We'll just have to get you used to stuff like this."
Elias froze. "Huh?"
She grinned, eyes catching the dim light. "Anyway, we're gonna find that old man."
He turned to face her.
"Are you out of your-"
The look in her eyes told him everything.
This wasn't a suggestion.
" Nothing I say is gonna change your mind?"
Jamie's smile widened. "Nope."
"Tch.''
Somehow, this was his life now.