"Thank you, young wizard, I'll be awaiting your return with those things I need from the Scarlet Screamers," Susie Gryphonbane said. She let out a relieved sigh as she watched the wizard run off. Susie had been worried no one would ever come to help Triton Avenue. The task was too difficult to do alone, and Duncan Grimwater would turn out to be helpful when gobblers didn't feel like eating.
Speaking of Duncan, she whirled around. As always, he stood in front of the cliff that overlooked the kraken's battle ring. Susie groaned. Duncan was supposed to be helping wizards in Haunted Cave today. Frustrated, she jogged down the wooden bridge, ready to give him a piece of her mind.
As she approached Duncan, he grinned as if he hadn't done anything wrong. He held out some new treasure cards for her to see. "Hey, Suse, I-"
"You were supposed to be helping wizards in Haunted Cave an hour ago!" Susie said, cutting him off.
Duncan's grin faded, "Come on, Suse. They'll be fine."
"Duncan!" she shouted in exasperation. Her sharp voice echoed off the cliff walls. Wizards nearby gave her strange looks. Susie noticed this and shrunk a little, mentally scolding herself for drawing unwanted attention. "Duncan…" she said, quieter this time, "we really need help to save Wizard City. Which includes Triton Avenue. This is serious. You have to do your part, I can't do this on my own."
She hated how she couldn't see his facial expressions due to his hood hiding his eyes in shadow. But from knowing him so long, she could tell she had gotten through his thick skull.
After a minute of silence, Duncan's straight face became a grin once again. "So, are you saying that you need me?"
Susie had no idea how she had been able to endure working with this boy for so long. She wondered if Ambrose had purposely paired them to work together just so he could see her suffer. Maybe he did. Susie didn't know, Ambrose was a strange old man.
Susie put a hand on her hips. "Duncan… Can you be serious for five minutes?"
"I could, but that's too boring. Besides, you look kind of cute when you get mad at me."
"I- I…" Susie stammered. Her cheeks turned a darker shade of red. "What was that?"
Duncan chuckled. "I said that you look cute when you're mad. Well, you're actually pretty cute no matter what."
Susie raised her hands in surrender. "I don't have time for this." She turned away from him and walked up the bridge with a slightly different spring in her step. When she was sure Duncan couldn't see her face any longer, she smiled.