((Woof, this took way longer than it should have. Nevermind that this only got the push it did because I wanted to get it out before I went on my trip out of town. Regardless, hopefully the rush job doesn't show, and even if it does, I'll probably give it a once-over when I get back (anything you do to point stuff out will help))
Chapter 4
:TrollMarket:
TrollMarket's many Crystal formations glowed warmly in the dim light of it's caverns, a testimate to it's place as home for the best and brightest trollkind had to offer.
"Are you sure its him Claire?"
As well as three human teens, currently on their way to blinky's library to inform him of a photo that Eli had recently tried showing off at school before Claire had snatched it.
"Jim, how many trolls fit this profile?"
Claire admonished, jamming the photograph in his face.
The picture seemed like likely evidence for certain, an abnormally thin troll figure, holding up an orange gemstone, smirking like the troll that had swallowed the cat.
Yet at the same time, Jim could see bits and pieces that didn't line up. Parts of the profile, stature and overall look that weren't of the changeling he'd recognized and reviled.
"I don't know Claire, sure it kinda looks like him. But the color, the hair, the chin it all looks...different."
Unfortunately, before he could scrutinize the picture any further, he'd found himself interrupted by Toby, snatching the photo out from in front of him and giving it a look over for himself.
"Maybe he got a little work done? Y'know getting ready for a date or-"
A withering glare from Jim Stopped Toby's line of thinking dead in its tracks.
"Heh...Right, forget I said anything Jimbo."
"Look, I know he looks similar, but after seeing the guy who helped get me through most of high school turn into a slavering monster I think I'd remember exactly what it looked like."
Thankfully the group had reached their destination before their debate could further continue.
Shelves upon shelves of books containing the sum of troll knowledge stretched through the walls.
"Arrgh my dear fellow, would you mind fetching "A Trolls guide to human etiquette" for me? I find myself rather, short-handed these days."
Came a boisterous voice from the middle of the room, belonging to a squat, middle-aged human, Normally a rare sight in trollmarket, aided by a much larger Krubera troll, carrying an armful of books.
It had been a few days since they'd traveled to Gatto's keep to retrieve the first Triumbric stone, a few days since Blinky was suddenly turned into a human by the various mixtures of potions found deep within the belly of the beast.
"Dunno if I'm ever gonna get used to you looking like that blink."
"Hopefully you will not have to master Jim, while I have enjoyed these past few days as a human I am hopeful that I shall return to my natural state soon. I do not favor this body's shortage of limbs and constant need for sleep."
Jim Chuckled, not quite sure how to respond, having only had a single pair of arms for all his life.
Luckily he didn't have to, as Toby was rather quick to cut to the chase and present the photo to blinky.
"Hey Bink, mind taking a look at this? Eli was flashing it all over school before claire swiped it from him."
Glancing between the three teens curiously blinky took the picture, Arrgh forgetting his earlier task and looking over his shoulder curiously.
Nearly immediately his eyes went wide with panic.
"Great Globulious Gorkins! Young Pepperjack was showing this all over the school!? Why he very well could have exposed trollkind to the entire student body at this point."
He ranted, tossing the photo back to Tobias and tearing through his library in a mad dash.
"Aaargh! Help me find that book of sleep curses, we have a multitude of teens we must silence!"
Seeing his mostly-level-headed mentor spiral in such a way Jim moved in, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and realizing dimly that it was much less cold and stony than he was used to.
"Woah Woah, Blinky...calm down, nobody needs to be silenced. It came from a website "Keep Shore City Strange" or something like that, nobody takes that stuff seriously."
"Beach city..."
Claire corrected, Idly tapping on her phone.
"...And as for taking things seriously, more people seem to than you'd think. I've found a couple of publications and news outlets that seem to line up with some of this guys more...out there ideas."
As she spoke, Toby smirked and gave Aaargh a friendly nudge with his elbow.
"Well I mean, we did already confirm the whole "Rock People living among us" thing."
The large troll gave a warm smile, elbowing Toby in return, though his friendly nudge inevitably ended up having enough force to cause the teenager to visibly wince.
"Right, but that's not even the half of it...Heck, maybe not even a fourth of it. Check it out, Haunted lighthouses, Pink Lions, Huge pillars of water, a giant woman."
"A giant woman?"
Was Toby's response, disbelief clear across his features.
"A giant woman."
Claire responded plainly.
Glancing from the conversation between the two over to Blinky Jim quirked an eyebrow, a silent request for his mentors insight.
"Strange, there haven't been reports of giants, female or otherwise for centuries."
"So you think it's bunk then blinky?"
"Now master Jim I don't believe I ever said that.
Before Jim could ask what he meant, Blinky was already on the move, his hands hovering over the numerous tomes in his collection, occasionally stopping in indecision before continuing to search for some, unknown, singular book among them.
"Ah here we are, A travelers guide to the fey wilds."
Barked the formerly trollish scholar, hefting a book that looked massive and cumbersome in his human hands.
"It is clear whatever we are facing here deals in powerful magic, magic not seen since the days of Arther himself, well...not counting Angor Rot's magic of course."
A quiet cough from Jim punctuated Blinky's comment, the young trollhunter bitterly remembering Angor Rot's ultimatum, as well as the very real threat to his soul.
"Uh...Right, Apologies master Jim. Regardless I believe darker forces are at work, possibly the result of some True Fey in our midst."
Cracking open the book, he gestured towards the various ethereal figures of multiple colors depicted upon its pages, some tall and slender, some bulky and massive, other short and stout, though all of them seemed feminine in form.
"I'm afraid little is known of these creatures save that they are powerful, unpredictable and in many cases impossibly deadly.."
"So you think Stricklers got himself a fey gal pal?"
Toby asked, already helping Aaargh put away a few of the books Blinky didn't seem to need.
"Strickler? what makes you think he's involved?"
The teen held up the picture and gestured towards it, presenting it as clear-cut evidence of the current principle of arcadia oaks high's involvement.
"Oh that's not Strickler young Tobias, The color's completely different, not to mention the hair, and the jawline is much thinner. I'm surprised you couldn't tell."
"Told you!"
Came Jim's slightly smug voice from the background, as he leaned over Claire's shoulder to look at the articles on her phone.
"More likely it's another Troll of a similar breed. Regardless we must make haste to this "Beach City" and bring this unfortunate situation under wraps before anymore "Stories" like this begin to spring up."
"Beach trip! Awesomesauce! Hold on, lemme just head home and get my swim trunks."
No sooner than Tobias had attempted to rush out the door than Aaargh blocked his progress with an outstretched arm.
"No time."
"Aaargh is Correct, Young Tobias. Every minute we spend here are another thousand potential witnesses to our secret world, nevermind whatever those dastardly Fae are plotting."
Meanwhile Jim, who had been browsing articles with Clair, found himself more than a little skeptical, though of what exactly he wasn't quite sure yet.
As Claire had said, these "True Fey", if that was indeed what they were, did seem to leave their mark on Beach City, though every Article they'd skimmed seemed light on actual content in favor of an eye-grabbing Tabloid-typical headline.
Man and Eighteen-foot tall woman raise child together, Strange water formations off the cost, fruit growing at unprecedented sizes, Beloved Mascot involved in aggravated fry-salt.
It all seemed, to be honest, far-fetched, even from the perspective of a boy who was friends with two giant stone monsters. Every single article sounded like the kind of thing he wouldn't even give the time of day before he'd found the Amulet.
Do I just have to believe all this stuff now that I'm the trollhunter?
Fortunately, Jim's introspection on how little sense his life now made was interrupted by the bellowing voice of his mentor.
"Now quickly, to the Gyre."
A quick groan sounded from Aaargh, though aside from that he remained silent as the group gathered up what few supplies they had and made their way to the Gyre station.
"So...any ideas on what we tell our parents? you know my mom's not exactly thrilled at me coming home late."
"Not to worry Master Jim, if need be i'll simply call and tell her that it is some form of academic excursion."
Somehow Jim doubted it would be that easy. But Blinky was right, Whether or not the other assorted weird happenings in Beach City were fact or fiction, they at least needed to find the troll in the picture and prevent him from being caught on film anymore.
A sigh of exhaustion escaped from Jim's lips. He'd had more than enough to deal with in Arcadia, what with the looming threat of Angor Rot devouring his living essence and Strickler lording over his connection to his mother, he wasn't at all keen on being assigned to clean-up duty elsewhere on top of all that.
"C'mon Jim, I hear the beach is lovely this time of year."
The young Trollhunter turned towards the voice and was met with a sweet, sincere smile from Claire, and suddenly he felt all his previous worried and concern's abated. At least for the moment.
"Heh, I guess magical conspiracies are as good a reason as any for a dip."
He chuckled, Quickening his pace to catch up with the rest of the team as they headed for the Gyre station.
Their arrival was, thankfully very timely. Though Jim supposed if there was anything good to be said for the giant, rolling, metal deathtrap it was that it was at least quick.
Of course, that was small comfort as the five of them were sent rocketing through the cave network at breakneck speeds, every single one of them, save for blinky, regretting the life choices that led them there.
"Hate Gyre"
Aaargh lamented as the group stumbled through the exit tunnel. His eternal "wingman" patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.
"I hear you, buddy, not many things can make me regret having Jim's pan-seared filet beef over wine-sauce."
Stumbling through the darkness, Claire steadied herself by holding on to Jim's shoulder, who himself seemed remarkably unphased by the troll vehicle.
"Madre de Dios, how did you manage to stay so composed through that trip, Jim?"
"I guess I'm used to getting tossed around."
He admitted, remember the many times he'd been battered, bruised and tossed around by creatures many times his size.
"Well, look at you tough guy."
She said, lightly bumping against his shoulder and chuckling
"Not all of us can have fancy martial arts moves."
He countered, enjoying the closeness of Claire's arm over his shoulder as the two of them shared a laugh.
"Take a moment to reacclimate yourselves as you need to. I shall secure a domicile for our stay here at "Shore city"."
Blinky stated confidently, in spite of the worried looks shared between the rest of the group.
"UUUUh..."
Was the unified response, as they imagined him trying to rent a room at a hotel.
"I'll go with him."
Jim stated, to everyone else's massive relief.
...
By the time the two returned it was already well into nightfall, Most of the beachside city they were overlooking having turned in, save for those few that still kept their lights on for whatever reason.
Toby had been deep into a card game against Aaaaargh, who was proving to be a cagey opponent if the building pile of winnings, in the form of sweaty socks of course, was any indication.
"Hey Jimbo, you and blinky find a place for us to lay low at?"
"Alright one, we can't lay low if nobody's looking for us, and two this place is mostly for blinky, the rest of us will have to actually get home at some point."
Jim replied, pointing back toward's the Gyre station.
Toby simply shrugged, mumbling something about his Nana mistaking him for one of her cat's.
Claire seemed to be far more invested in the City below, particularly in one building that looked to be in a high rise estate, nearer than the other, with light and sound emanating from it in rolling pulses.
"That place seems popular."
She said keenly, kneeling over in observation.
"Yeah, I heard some guys talking about at the hotel, apparently it's some big party. Big enough to bring people in from out of town."
"Y'know, that many people gathered together, somebody's bound to have seen something."
Toby interjected as he looked over from his clearly losing hand to join in the conversation.
Blinky, who'd been retrieving his Luggage from the Gyre, seemed to perk up at Tobias's offhand comment.
"Drawing information from amongst your peers? Splendid idea young Tobias!"
"Yeah I know, Brilliant as per usual."
The teen replied confidently, holding his hand up in time to receive a high-five, and consequently minor wrist pain, from Aaaargh.
Ever the voices of reason amongst the group, Jim and Claire exchanged a brief look of skepticism before Jim spoke up.
"Bit of a problem with that plan Blink, we didn't get invited."
"Pfft, Since when has that ever stopped us Jimbo? Remember Mary's sweet thirteen?"
Was Toby's response as he leaned walked over and patted his longtime friend on lightly on the shoulder.
"She hasn't let me forget."
He lamented, Recalling some of the dirty looks their classmate had given them whenever her birthday rolled around.
Smiling at her friend's discomfort Claire simply shrugged casually.
"For what it's worth, Darci thought it was pretty funny. And I don't think Mary's nearly as mad about the whole thing as she lets on."
"See Jim, Nobody takes party crashing that seriously, We'll just slide on in, mingle, get the intel and then slip out before anyone even notices."
Jim had to admit, Toby did seem to make a strong case. They probably wouldn't be staying for long, who'd have time to hold them accountable for gatecrashing during their short stay at beach city?
That also meant a limited timeframe to get to the bottom of whatever happening, and an opportunity to get so many locals in one place to give their stories likely wasn't going to come twice.
Breaking briefly from his contemplation, the trollhunter looked up to see his friends, staring expectantly at him, likely seeing him considering the plan and wondering what his answer would be.
"Alright, fine."
The ride over to the house party was thankfully smooth as the team had managed to convince blinky to rent a cab rather than, "Procure" his own vehicle.
"Gather what information you can and meet me at my temporary lodgings, I shall be aiding Aaargh in investigating the location from which the photograph was taken in the meantime."
The former troll explained as the three teens piled out of the taxi. Jim nodded and gave his mentor a wave goodbye, even as his two companions proceeded without him, likely far more eager to get in then he was.
Not that he wasn't happy to get a bit of socializing done on top of trollhunting, goodness knows his social life had suffered after taking up the call.
It was just that, whenever he tried to set his duty aside to act like a normal teenager it just ended up flying back in his face like a well-aimed troll-fist, usually leaving him with a big magical mess to awkwardly explain away.
"Hey there.."
Came a markedly young voice from behind him, Breaking him out of his thoughts.
Turning around he saw a young, dark-skinned girl, hair styled in a bob cut, wearing a powder blue dress likely no older than twelve.
She seemed, Placid, for lack of a better term. Not quite shy, but with the reservation of someone in a situation they're not used to, but managed to push forward with a confidence that surprised even themselves.
Something Jim understood completely.
"Your dad seems nice."
"He's n-..."
He was about to tell her that Blinky wasn't his father, but he thought better of it. Rolling with it would serve as a good enough cover while he was here, and truth be told amongst all the father figures in his life Blinky was the only one he'd count himself glad to have known.
"Yeah, he is."
He replied plainly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"My name is Connie by the way."
"Jim Lake, I'm new to beach city."
The young trollhunter admitted, wholly surprised to see the younger teen brighten up at his relatively benign statement.
"Really? How long are you staying? I know a bunch of cool places to visit around town."
She stated cheerily with a warmth and sincerity that Jim found rather infectious.
Wonder if everyone here is this nice.
He thought, his stomach sinking as he realized he was likely going to have to lie straight to her face if he wanted to get any useful info without looking crazy.
"Sounds good, actually my friends and I are doing a Journalism...internship assignment..."
He said, silently realizing he and his friends hadn't agreed on a cover story and hoping neither of them contradicted the one he'd just given Connie.
"...It's about Urban Legends, y'know little weird shapes moving around at night, creature sightings, strange occurrences like tha-"
Jim felt the words catch in his throat as he noticed a large, pink, feline creeping up on the unphased girl from behind, the obvious danger the outrageously colored predator posed not at all reflected in her curious expression.
"You'll need to be a little more specific than that Jim, there's a lot of weird stu-"
"Watch out!"
Before she could finish, Jim had sprung into action, Jumping forward to meet the strange creature, his hand reached into his back pocket for his amulet of daylight. Wondering how he could lead the creature away so he could transform freely.
He didn't have long to think, however, as almost as quickly, the girl moved in between him and the Lion, hands held up in an attempt to calm him.
"Wait, it's okay he's friendly."
"He's what?!"
Jim cried in disbelief, eyeing the beast suspiciously and seeing it's dull, apathetic look.
Looking around he saw other partygoers, clearly in plain view of the animal and paying it little mind.
Tentatively he moved past Connie and held a hand out to the creature, ready to leap out of the way if it took any kind of hostile action.
Fortunately, the lion simply sat there staring at the outstretched limb blankly.
"So you have a pet lion?"
Jim asked, wondering if there some weird legal loopholes that allowed ownership of exotic, rare and completely dangerous animals in this county.
"Oh, he's not mine."
She admitted sheepishly before she seemed to recall something that managed to lower her mood significantly, signified by subtle hunch in her shoulders.
"You alright.."
Jim asked in spite of himself, still trying not to take his eyes off the massive predator, which was currently licking its own paws lazily.
Connie simply shook her head, doing her best to smile as she assuaged his concerns.
"It's... nothing, we should go inside."
Without even waiting for a response, the younger girl strode through the front gate, followed by the pink lion that apparently wasn't hers.
The young trollhunter could unfortunately only give a confused look, before simply shrugging and following Connie and her not-pet, figuring her strange animal might mean she has a better grasp on the "weirdness" of this town than most people.
...
Claire had never been a stranger to parties. One of the few perks of overly busy parents was a great degree of independence when it came to living her life.
It's just a shame that looking at the teens plastered onto the wall, around the pool, and in chairs, this particular party was so...lame.
True, she'd never considered herself the life of the party the same way her more rakish friend Mary was, but she knew from experience they were supposed to be loud, in your face, or at least not brooding in some corner somewhere.
Whats more, her mission statement of getting information from these guys wasn't going any better. Most of the gathered guests weren't opening up to her and Toby, and the ones that were listed things like "A potato chip in the shape of Abraham Lincoln" as "Strange goings on".
With a frustrated sigh she shuffled over to the snack table to grab some punch as she prepared for another round of fruitless questioning.
Nearby she spotted Toby, talking to a group of teens comprised of two lighter skinned males in casual button-up shirts and one darker skinned girl in a light red tank top.
Her fellow trollhunter seemed to take notice, and gave a subtle nod and wink, which she returned, before continuing to schmooze the other teens, somewhat more loudly this time so Claire could hear.
"Hahaha, yeah...but y'know people around here, they've got some crazy stories. I mean, you hear what they're saying about some kinda "Giant Woman"?"
"Oh yeah, that...I remember seeing her, she had the glasses and the fro right?"
One of the boys said, prompting some curiosity from the two trollhunters. It was an odd description to say the least, made all the more strange by how casually he seemed to admit it.
Maybe they just thought it was just a joke.
Claire mused silently.
"No she had like, four eyes and two mouths."
His lady friend interjected, clearly nonplussed about the absurdity of her statement.
Toby and Claire exchanged a look of utter bewilderment, not certain if it was some bizarre prank or if this city had the most poorly concealed troll activity in the world.
"Didn't that one come in after the giant green hand in the sky?"
Another added before taking a deep swig of punch from his cup.
Staring from the teen back to the punch bowl, Claire wordlessly dumped the cup she'd gotten for herself and walked away, realizing far too late they'd have a hard time parsing genuine information from pure nonsense this way.
"Hold on, Hold on, who invited brace-face over here?"
Came an indignant voice over the pulsing music. It's source a fairly attractive, dark-skinned young man in an expensive-looking shirt. His eyes locked on toby as he strode angrily towards him.
"Chill Kevin, he's not bothering anybody."
One of the partygoers explained in Toby's defense.
"He's botherin' me by showing up without an invitation, who knows what kinda weirdo's would turn up if I just started letting everybody in."
So much for the experienced party crasher.
She thought as she watched the scene escalate, Kevin clearly getting frustrated while Toby nervously dodged questions and changed the subject.
A part of her wondered if she could go help him, but he looked like he was stalling well enough, and if he could cause enough of a scene that Jim and Claire would go unnoticed it'd still mean they'd still have two sets of eyes and ears to keep up the search.
"Uh...Kevin...?"
She heard a voice that sounded much too young to be at this sort of party, call out to the angry host in vain.
Looking around, she quickly confirmed that it indeed was a young, Slightly pudgy looking boy with curly hair, probably in his very early teens.
Concern was etched upon the youngster teen's boyish features, though whether it was for Toby, Kevin, or some other reason she couldn't say.
"Hey there.."
She called out politely, in what she hoped was a kind way of "Running interference" while Toby kept Kevin distracted.
"Oh...Uh...Hey there!"
He responded, giving a polite wave and weak smile. Clearly trying his best to be enthusiastic in his greeting, but still distracted by something.
Claire dimly remembered her early teens, mostly filled with the standard tween hodgepodge of fashion magazines, gossip, and judo lessons. But for the life of her, she couldn't recall anything that could have brought her down in the dumps the way this kid seemed to be.
"You having fun?"
She asked, realizing too late how silly the question sounded. Why else would he be here if he wasn't trying to find some way to entertain himself during the weekend.
"I guess, I was actually hoping to meet someone here."
Oh, I guess that's why.
"Who? Kevin?"
"What...No...Kevin's just helping me meet up with her."
"Her?"
Claire teased, suddenly the source of the boy's worries made a bit more sense.
"I really messed up, I just...I want her to talk to her again, tell her how sorry I am."
He sniffled slightly, tears very quickly starting to form on the sides of his eyes. Though he seemed to be trying to hold himself back from full-on crying in front of a stranger.
Almost immediately she felt her heart sink as she watched this kid trying not to burst into tears in front of her. Her objective momentarily forgotten.
"Hey, No tears. Look, Kevin's clearly...busy, so why don't I help you? We can go meet with her together."
Kneeling down, she put a hand on his shoulder, earning a small smile from the younger teen as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Thanks, I'm Steven by the way."
"Claire, and you're welcome. But if you'd like to repay me, maybe you could answer a few questions."
She said with a smile.
...
Connie had to admit, she hadn't quite been expecting to hit it off so well with someone she'd met at Kevin's party, mostly she'd hoped to meet with Steven and say her piece.
But surprisingly enough she'd found it relatively easy to engage in small talk, especially with Jim, who seemed very receptive to one of her favored subjects.
"Really I think the hardest part of sword fighting is keeping your guard up, parrying get's really tiring after a while and it's way too easy to make a mistake if the fight goes on for a while."
"Tell me about it.."
He responded knowingly, earning a curious look from Connie as she wondered if he was simply being sarcastic or if he'd actually practiced swordplay himself.
"I mean...Tell me more about it."
He corrected, rubbing the back of his head somewhat bashfully.
The swordswoman narrowed her eyes, not certain what to make of the supposed slip-up. She considered asking him if he knew anything about the subject of swordplay before she caught sight of someone she'd been both eager and anxious to meet.
"Steven?"
She asked, briefly forgetting present company as she saw her longtime friend talking to a girl who looked to be about Jim's age.
Of course, her companion noticed her gawking and gave a polite cough, hoping to snap her out of it without butting in too much.
Blushing slightly, Connie looked away from the two not wanting to concern a stranger with her own personal problems
"Hey, Claire."
Jim called out to her companion casually, Drawing attention from the girl Steven was conversing with. Smiling, she gave her own wave and greeting, indicating the two seemed to know each other.
Understandably, the two greeting each other had pulled Steven's attention away from Claire and over toward's Connie's direction.
Trepidation filled the studious girl as she stood face to face with her liege.
It was funny, she'd tried so hard to get a hold of him. Even going so far as to visit him at his house, before finding out he'd gone on vacation.
And yet, here she was, with him. And suddenly all the confidence she felt, all the things she wanted to say, were slowly fleeing off into the horizon, leaving her painfully unprepared as she debated if she was even ready to talk at all.
Luckily her new companion had taken note of her staring and once again took it upon himself to stir her from her thoughts.
"Hey, Connie..."
"Hmm? Yeah Jim?"
"I...Don't know what your relationship with Steven is. But someone once said to me, "talking to" is usually better than "Looking at."
The statement seemed heartfelt, and if his slightly wistful smile was anything to go on, Jim had taken these words to heart.
Nodding Connie slowly approached her friend, who seemed to be fretting almost as much as she was if the sweat on his face was any indication.
The two gave a lukewarm greeting, neither quite sure what to say. Deciding they'd had enough silence between them Connie spoke first.
"Steven I-"
"I'm so sorry!"
Steven blurted out, quickly embracing Connie in a sporadic hug, tears streaming down his face.
"I shouldn't have doubted you, I shouldn't have doubted us. I should have understood how much I worried you."
Overwhelmed and yet, somewhat grateful that Steven had articulated the things she wanted to say, she simply returned his hug, content to allow him this emotional release before they talk.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Claire and Jim, shoulder to shoulder as they watched the embrace, before walking away to give the two some space.
"I tried Calling you."
Steven admitted weakly, doing his best not to let himself sound too broken up and desperate.
"I was going to text back that I didn't feel like talking about this over the phone, but then I realized that counted as talking. Then I tried to come over but you were on vacation and.."
She sighed and shook her head, realizing she was rambling.
" Look, we've got a lot to talk about...you want to just.."
"Go find somewhere more quiet to talk?"
He finished for her. Eliciting a smile from the knight in training as she remembered just how in-synch they used to be.
"That'd be nice."
Meanwhile, the two trollhunters who'd accompanied the younger teens had managed to find a secluded spot mostly out of earshot from the rest of the party to talk about their findings
"Cute Couple."
Jim commented, avoiding Claire's gaze and rubbing his shoulder.
"Yeah, I hope they work it out."
Claire agreed, similarly bashful.
"How were things on the information front?"
She asked, wanting to quickly change the subject before the night came to an awkward screeching halt.
"Oh, Well Connie kept mentioning she'd learned sword fighting to help fight monsters, I don't know if she was being hyperbolic but she seemed to know her stuff as far as that goes, and the headline about pink Lion's was real at least."
He explained, earning a nod from Claire as she thought about her own findings.
"Lots of talk about the "Giant Women" from people at the party. Some of the descriptions seem a little out there, but when I asked Steven he seemed to know them all by name. You think those might be the "Monsters"?
Sighing and looking up into the sky, Jim mulled over the information Claire presented.
He should have been happy, his job as the Trollhunter had never been easier, they were practically being handed this information on a platter.
But of course, that only made the young hunter even more suspicious. Afraid even, as he knew full well his responsibility of keeping the human and troll world separate.
Had he already failed in this corner of the world? Considering how relatively casual everyone was about these kinds of sightings it seemed like it.
"I don't know, it seems weird that everyone's so...open about all this. If it is true, then somebody is really messing up when it comes to keeping troll magic a secret."
Claire Chuckled, following his gaze up into the starry sky.
"Tell me about it. If there is anything out here I wouldn't be surprised if it came rocketing out in plain view right no-"
Suddenly the two were interrupted by the sounds of the party's host yelling at the top of his Lungs.
"Hey don't walk away from me!"
They heard, followed by a loud splash as they looked over to see Kevin shoulder-deep in the pool, while Steven and Connie sat atop their pink Lion.
"For what it's worth, I think you threw a pretty nice party."
Connie said politely before in a few quick strides their steed blasted off in a brilliant streak of pink light.
Jim wasn't sure how long he stood there slack-jawed, for all he knew it could have been hours. But eventually, he turned to his longtime crush, similarly awestruck by the brazen display of supernatural power.
"Claire, you saw that ri-"
"I have eyes, Jim."
She interrupted bluntly.
Before they could process what they'd just seen, Toby came running towards them, huffing slightly from all the running he'd had to do, as well as likely arguing at length with Kevin before he'd been distracted.
"Guys...Guys! you'll never believe what I just saw!"
"A Pink Lion Rocketing through the sky into a portal?"
Jim quipped almost reflexively. His near-automatic sarcasm at odds with how shaken up he felt.
"Well, that too.."
Quickly, Toby pulled out his phone, flipping over to the surprised picture of a man with curly blonde hair and glasses, holding a pair of binoculars and looking quite startled.
Claire and Jim both frowned, neither able to place the man, but recognizing his appearance from somewhere.
Finally, Jim relented and decided to ask his old friend.
"Alright, I'll bite, who is this guy Toby?"
"I'm glad you asked Jimbo."
With a few errant flicks of his finger, Toby switched to a webpage with the Title "Keep Beach City Weird!" Printed boldly at the top.
Beneath a small wall of Text was a picture of the same curly haired man standing hunched over a plaster mold of a large bootprint.
"I caught him in some bushes outside, looking at you guys while Kevin was distracted yelling at some kids."
Toby said confidently, clearly rather proud of his discovery, which neither Jim nor Claire could really fault him on.
"Alright, Looks like we've got our leads."
Jim said definitively, channeling his best "leader" voice as he addressed his fellow trollhunters.
"We'll meet with Blinky at the Hotel and from there we'll figure out where we want to start."
"I wonder how Arrrgh's doing."
Toby asked idly, knowing the large troll had the relatively difficult task of going on-site to try and figure out what little he could from the place where the picture was taken.
...
::At the Temple::
Arrrghamont was never considered an intelligent troll, not by the standards of his people, and not really by his own standards either, usually, he left critical thinking to his longtime companion Blinky.
But the Krubera troll did occasionally have moments of insight, beyond what little his Gumm-Gumm captors had taught him.
In this case, he rightly assumed that a troll of that species standing outside the wall of a building had either recently climbed out, or was looking to climb in.
Surely enough, Upon looking up at the wall of the building, the former Gumm-Gumm general saw the deep indents and long, jagged chips in the masonry, telltale signs of troll-claws.
The massive Troll lifted his arm up to the indents nearest to the bottom, before feeling a sharp pain in the chosen limb.
Arrgh gripped it reflexively, remembering the ugly, rocky scar where Angor Rot's poison had made its mark.
Pushing aside the pain and the grim thoughts about his fate, Arrgh raised his other limb to brush against the claw marks, noting that the marks weren't that deep, indicating a young troll that wasn't very strong yet.
"Wanted something...Inside..."
He mused, wondering what would drive a relatively young troll to invade this strange human home.
Suddenly, he was interrupted by the sound of a creaking door, and a tall, pearlescent,long-nosed figure rushing out from it before he had a chance to escape into the shadows.
"Steven? Is that you? are you finally back from that party? You're not hurt, are you? can I just che-"
Arrgh stood ramrod still, as the strange humanoid looked up at him. Both of them baffled by what they were seeing.
Briefly, Arrgh recalled an illustration from Blinky's book about the fey, creatures like this that looked human, but were possessed with strange and frightening powers, such as shape-shifting, conjuring, and deadly force of arms.
"Hi.."
The Massive Troll boomed nervously as he ventured a wave and a smile.
The white-skinned figure simply continued to stare, before the strange gemstone secured on its forehead began to glow brightly.
Wordlessly she reached a thin arm straight into the dazzling light, pulling from it a long polearm, which she then held at the ready.
The massive Troll gave a resigned sigh, knowing the Gyre was soon going to be the least of his problems tonight.
