So first few notes. This takes place after season 3 so, you know, read with caution. Second note, leaving the very night after the battle seemed a bit rushed to me so I'm starting at the end of the battle and gonna give them a day or maybe two to at least pack some things. Third, I'm bringing Toby and AAARRRGGHH! along for the ride and I'll be calling him Arrrgh from now on. Oh and forth, Jim is going to learn to take the armor off, cause his being stuck in it is making me incredibly claustrophobic.

Happiness and adrenaline still coursed through Jim as the team rejoiced and tried to catch their breath. Happiness with a bitter sweet coding that he felt himself pushing down. Later. Later. He'll deal with it later. Now was not the time. There was still so much to do, so much to discuss. And then there was the Heartstone hidden somewhere in New Jersey. They had a journey ahead of them.

He was still lost in these swirling thoughts, gazing out at the cloudy, but thankfully sunstreaked, horizon when he felt a warm and small (too small) hand slip into his. He glance downward to see Claire's reassuring presence at his side. He started to smile, wavering a bit as he noticed the odd feeling of his lips rolling over large teeth. She squeezed his hand tighter and he was relieved to feel his hand reform slightly under the pressure, even if only by a bit. It seemed that his stoniness was only skin-deep. Even so, did not reciprocate the squeeze, keeping his hand curled loosely around hers. He had spent less than 48 hours in this new form. He didn't know its full potential or its limits and he wasn't gonna risk his girlfriend's delicate, small, very human hand.

She seemed to notice his lack of grip. "I'm not gonna break you know," she said, a wry smile crossing her face as she pivoted to face him. Her brows furrowed as she gazed up towards his face. "Your bleeding," she said, raising herself on her toes and reaching a hand out to caress his left cheek. He blinked a bit in surprise, his eyes trying, and failing, to focus on his cheek. Claire giggled as he went cross-eyed.

A nervous laugh bubbled to the surface of Jim's throat, "Well, at least that's something human I still seem to be able to do." He brought a hand to the spot. It didn't seem too deep. "Now let's just hope I can heal as well."

"Of course it will heal," a voice shouted behind them, breaking the illusion that they were alone on the bridge. Merlin grabbed Jim's chin roughly, not at all with the softness that Clair had a moment before. Jim felt his upper lip curl at the sudden unexpected contact. "Although it will heal faster if you just hold still aaaaaaand..." The wizard raised his staff with his free hand, its green stone becoming luminous. Lighting-like tendrils stretched towards Jim's face, collecting closer in the damaged areas.

"There." Merlin lowered his staff, releasing Jim so suddenly that he fell back a few paces. "Good as new." His brows furrowed, "Or is it 'Good as old' since it was the old version of you before the battle that didn't possess a scratch. Or...hmm..." His eyebrows twitched. The others stared. "Well, in any case it is healed, now if you would kindly lead us to our lodgings Trollhunter, I would enjoy a much deserved rest." He stretched his neck, this way, then that, the bones giving out a few pops as he did. Claire took hold of Jim's hand again. Without anyone saying a word he started leading them towards his home.

What used to be his home.

Jim's house was becoming something of a meeting place after the battle. His living room was currently full to the bursting with the presence of his friends, trolls and humans alike, and their parents (or nanas). Everyone was excitedly recounting their own versions of the battle to each other. Jim, wanting to withdraw a bit, excused himself to the kitchen and started making hors d'oeuvres. He took comfort in the familiarity of it, letting his muscle memory take over as he began chopping and sauteing. He tried to let himself be absorbed in the simple task, something he could handle, and to think of nothing else.

Jim placed the dishes on the coffee table to the excited and hungry exclamations of the others. He sat down on the couch, the springs protesting as he fell hard (much to hard) into the cushions. His hands clasped and unclasped themselves over each other. One three fingered and the other four. He looked away, trying to feel pride as the others started eating the food he had prepared. He couldn't partake in it himself. He had tried a bit while in the kitchen, but everything still tasted wrong. More than wrong. Wrong was when the seasoning wasn't just right or the food overcooked. It didn't just taste wrong, it tasted inedible, like trying to eat old socks, which was ironic really because now that he thought about it...Jim gave himself a mental shake. He wasn't going to eat socks. He wasn't even hungry right now. Sure, that may have to do a few missing utensils in the kitchen, but it was still true. He cringed inwardly as he remembered taken a bite out of his favorite cutting knives. Now that had been edible. The metal sweet and tangy, the wooden handle smokey and crunchy.

But he didn't want to think about that. There was no time to think about that. He leaned into the couch listening, wanting to just lose himself in the overlapping chatter of the room. Wanting to let it condense into a white noise.

Except it didn't. He felt his ears twitch.

Suddenly, he was zeroed in on Toby's conversation with his Grandma on the other side of the room. "And then it turned out the whole time that it was the butler." Her face twisted into a smug smile and she glanced meaningfully at Dicatious. "It wasn't just a red herring afterall."

Titch

"And then I said, 'Stop in the name of the City Council!' and hit him right over the head with the sign of my opponent!"

Titch

"The hospital was still a mess when I left, but since I came in so early and worked the worst of it they decided to let me go home."

Titch

His ears were pulled in this direction and then that. One by one bringing each conversation into unnerving clarity. With so much stimulation in the room they seemed to have gone on autopilot, unable to find a focus. The effect was chaotic and disorienting. And it was all so very loud. Jim gripped them roughly in his hands and pulled down. His heartbeat picked up. He had to get out of here.

Jim rose quickly, making his way to the side of the room. The conversations continued. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Claire glance his way, but pretended not to see as he mounted the stairs and took the familiar path to his room.

He fell down on his chair with a clang of armor hitting wood. Burying his head in his hands for a moment, he gave a deep sigh and tried to recollect himself. holding his head like this was a quirk he had always had, and performing it now felt both familiar and alien. His hands whch used to run through his hair now found horns. Gripping them tightly, he sighed again. It was quieter up here. He could still hear the voices below, but they were less pronounced. He leaned back in the chair, his armor readjusting itself.

"I don't know how you expect an old man to get any sleep with all that clanging and clattering around."

The voice broke Jim out of his revery like a smack to the face. He jumped backward off of the chair, landing in a crotch on the desk. Teeth bared, he felt a growl escape his throat, odd and rumbling. His ears pulled towards the left. He followed the direction with his head to see the source of the noise. Merlin was laying like a plank on Jim's bed. He was positioned in much the way the team had originally found him just a few days before. Only difference was he had one eye open and one eyebrow cocked towards Jim in annoyance.

Jim's heartbeat slowed and he tried to readjust his body into a more human position, swinging his legs forward so they dangled off the desk. He scowled toward the wizard.

"If I'm banging and clattering around that is on you! I can't seem to get this darn amulet off," Jim tried once more to pry it from his chest. He threw his arms up, exacerbated. " Its like its melded on!"

"Well of course it is! That stone is serving as your troll heart! It is now a part of you. We can't have you separated from that now can we." The wizard closed his eyes again as if what he said settled everything. Jim felt a wave of hopelessness as he looked down at his armor, shifting uncomfortably.

Merlin's one eye flew open again, "And there you go again with the clattering, and the banging, and the...clinging..."

Frustration washed over Jim. He swallowed the beginnings of a growl in his throat. When he spoke his voice was controlled, but still a bit rough around the edges.

"I told you! I can't take the armor off!"

This time both of Merlin's eyes opened. With an agility that seemed uncharacteristic for a man his age he spun himself into a sitting position, facing Jim.

"That's not what you said."

"What? Yes it is!" Jim sputtered.

"You said you couldn't take the amulet off, which is true, but that doesn't mean you cannot remove your armor. The fight is over," the wizard's face shifted thoughtfully, "or at least it is for today. Take the armor off."

Jim took a steadying breath. Inwardly praying for patience. "But how can I take the armor off without-"

"Can I ask you something Trollhunter?" Merlin interrupted, a long finger pointing towards Jim, "How do you summon your armor?"

"You mean when it's not melded to me?" Jim frowned. "Well usually, I say, 'For the glory of Mer- you know, daylight-'"

"And have you used those words every time you summoned your armor?"

Jim thought back, back to what seemed like forever ago, when he didn't have full control over his armor and it had appeared, just because he had felt threatened, and that led to the play, and Claire, and, and…

"Well no, there were times when it would just appear."

"And did you always remove the amulet from you chest to remove your armor."

Jim's face twisted in concentration. "Well, no, but that was mainly times when I had my butt was kicked and the armor just, well, disappeared."

"Exactly!"

"Exactly?"

"Jim the armor forms when called upon. It is formed through a state of mind and a well of energy. The state of mind comes from you, and the energy resides within the amulet. The incantation and act of putting the amulet on or taking it off only assist in finding that balance more easily."

Jim felt his attention perk and he straightened up on the end of his desk. He would love to get the armor off. He'd been dying to get out of it and stretch his aching muscles.

"So, I just have to severe this- ummmmm- this 'state of mind and force of energy?'"

"Well of energy."

"Whatever."

Merlin's tone became conjoling. "Forces remain constant while wells can contain, holding and withholding. Just put the energy back in the well where it belongs." He yawned, "It will be there when you need it."

"We're talking figuratively, right?"

Merlin's eyebrows raised. Jim was beginning to believe this man's eyebrows had a life of their own. "Well of course I'm speaking figuratively. Do you see any wells around here?" He gestured his arms out to the surrounding room and fell back on the bed muttering something about kids not understanding magic these days. Jim watched on as Merlin shut his eyes. It seemed that was as good of an explanation as Jim was going to get from him.

Jim hopped off of the desk, rolling his shoulders back one by one. Okay, no armor, armor be gone! His face screwed tightly in concentration.

"Your too tense." Merlin said from the bed. He hadn't even bothered to open his eyes this time. In fact, he was now fixing a lacey purple cover over them that Jim had a suspicion belonged to his mother. "You need to be fully relax." Merlin said, shifting deeper into the bed as if to fully punctuate this statement.

Jim took a breath and shook out his hands while jumping on the balls of his feet. He was trying to shake out the tension as he would after a hard training session. He felt his body wanting to fall into a resting crouch, but wouldn't let it. Instead, he continued bouncing, trying to get his body to relax while retaining a completely human position.

"You need to let both sides of yourself relax" Merlin said, talking to the ceiling.

Jim sighed and after bouncing on his toes once more let his body sink into the (strange? natural?) crouch it seemed to want to be in.

And his armor finally let go, dissipating like smoke. It was a relief, such a relief, and his limbs fell deeper into the crouch. His new joints for the first time able to bend as far as they wanted without the armor digging in. He let out a moan of relief that sounded both human and animal. He arched his back and stretched.

skkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkrt

He yelled, (yelped?) at the sudden unexpected noise. And at the feeling of something (weird, hairy, fluffy) on his back. Looking down he could see his old sweater, the same one he had been wearing just a fortnight ago. It was strained along his arms and a large rip seemed to have formed almost entirely down his back. His arms wrapped around himself questioningly. He could feel a large amount of hair (fur?) overflowing from the rip.

Heavy, rushed footsteps came to the doorway. "Jim are you alright! I was just coming up the stairs to check on you when I heard you -um- shout and-"

Jim looked up at Claire, his arms still tangled as if giving himself the tightest hug. Claire's stared wide eyed in surprise. She took in the room, her eyes roaming over Jim, his clothes hanging on to him in tatters, and then over to the wizard lying on the bed, arms crossed over his chest, grumbling. Her face seemed confused for a moment, but quickly recomposed itself. As she turned back to Jim a smile crossed her face. She stifled a giggle.

Jim jumped to his feet. Part of him wanted to flee, to jump out the window as he had done before, but he forced himself to stand. Rushing over to his dresser, he started shuffling through the contents and grabbing items at random.

"Ah, Yes- Well as you can see I ummmmm- I seemed to have taken my armor off-" Jim scooped up a huge pile of clothes in his arms. "But ummmmm I may need to change and since there is currently a wizard in my room..." He gave a meaningful look towards Merlin, who lay there oblivious, and made his way clumsily toward the door. Side-stepping Claire, he slipped out into the hallway. "I'll just be heading that way," He finished awkwardly, giving an uneasy smile toward Claire and gesturing down the hall with one blue thumb. He rushed to the escape of the bathroom and slammed the door.