Douxie had never been very good at sensing magic, but he had figured out how to find other wizards and hedge wizards. Nine hundred years was a long time, and it got incredibly lonely sometimes, even with Archie as a constant companion. He would have lost his sanity if he had no other company. Finding fellow wizards had been necessary. It had been difficult for the first few centuries, but with constant practice he'd been able to figure out some subtle signs and mannerisms of wizards.
Archie had tried to convince him a few times to work on enhancing his magic sensing powers, just in case, but Douxie had never thought it was necessary. He had his own ways of finding wizards. Besides, that kind of magic was powerful and complicated, and Douxie knew how dangerous it was for wizards to try to teach themselves magic. It was too risky, even for fully trained Master Wizards like Merlin. If Douxie didn't have to kill himself to teach himself a spell, he wouldn't.
Now Douxie wished he had at least given it a try, because then maybe he wouldn't have found himself in this situation.
Douxie had left his guard down. He'd just been working at the bistro, connecting with the customers and trying to ignore the dark looks he was given by the few people who thought that it wasn't appropriate for a punk like him to be a waiter at the finest restaurant in Arcadia Oaks. Douxie had only had this job for a few months, but he'd already lost count of the number of complaints had been made to his boss about him.
Douxie was incredibly lucky that his boss couldn't care less about how he dressed, because she knew that he was good at his job. Douxie's appearance may be less than professional, but he had really good customer service skills, and his boss wouldn't let him go so easily.
Sometimes there were perks to having nine hundred years of experience of bending over backwards to keep others happy.
Whatever work Douxie was doing, he gave it his complete attention. When he was a waiter, he didn't even think about magic. When he played his music, nothing else even crossed his mind. When he worked on his magic, he did his best to not let his thoughts stray. Douxie did this to be safe, but he'd let things go too far.
Maybe if Douxie had been more aware and on the lookout for magic he would have seen the signs. He had known that something was wrong, but he hadn't considered that it had anything to do with magic. When Claire and her friends came to the restaurant and she started acting strange, Douxie had thought it was just because she was nervous about the date. When she'd brushed him off and called him a servant, it had hurt, but Douxie had been more worried about Claire. He may not know her very well, but he thought that this was just a little out of character for her.
Douxie had kept a close eye on their group as he waited on the other tables. He noticed right away when the other girl, Darci, left the table, likely to use the restroom. A moment later Claire said something that Douxie didn't hear, but it seemed to bother Jim quite a bit. He excused himself and his friend was quick to follow him.
Douxie finished what he was doing and went over to their table. Claire didn't give him a second glance, but Douxie wasn't going to leave just because he was being ignored. Claire may be his customer, but she was also his friend.
"Claire," Douxie said quietly. He pocketed his notebook to show that she had his full attention. "Can I talk to you?"
"I would rather not," Claire said coldly.
"I just wanted to check up on you," Douxie knelt on the ground to be closer to Claire's level. She gave him a sideways glare. "Are you alright? You don't seem yourself."
There was an odd look in Claire's eyes and for a moment Douxie thought he saw a golden spark in them, but he ignored it. He told himself it was just the light reflecting in her eyes. "I wasn't aware we knew each other."
Douxie gave her a small smile. "We may not be close, but I'd like to think that we're friends," Claire didn't respond, so Douxie just continued. "Are you nervous about your date? I can assure you, you have nothing to be worried about. That boy you're with really seems to like you.." Douxie had come to learn that teenagers who were still trying to figure this whole dating thing out had a tendency to get jealous. It was how they coped with caring so much about somebody. It wasn't healthy behavior, but Douxie could tolerate it from young people who were just figuring things out.
"Hey, Douxie," Darci returned to the table and gave him a small smile, though he could tell she was wondering why their waiter was kneeling in front of their table. "What's up?"
"Just checking in," Douxie stood up and gave Claire a gentle smile. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Claire gave him a small frown. It wasn't a cold, angry look, but one of confusion. She seemed to be studying him, though he didn't know what she was looking for.
"Douxie?" That golden light returned to her eyes. She gave him a strained smile. "Actually, there is something that I'd like to talk to you about," She stood up, gave him an odd look, and walked into the restaurant. Douxie shrugged at Darci before he followed Claire. "Where can we get some privacy?"
Douxie knew he might get in trouble for being in an isolated place with a young customer, but that was something he could deal with later. If Claire needed privacy to feel comfortable opening up to him, Douxie would provide that for her.
"The break room should be empty." Douxie said. Customers weren't supposed to be in the back, but extenuating circumstances meant that adjustments had to be made. Douxie led the way to the break room. As he thought, nobody was in there, so they could get the privacy Claire desired. He kept the door open though, as he didn't want anybody to get the wrong idea of what was happening.
"So, what's up?" Douxie asked.
Claire hummed to herself and put her hands behind her back. Her posture was radiating with power and confidence. It wasn't the kind of look that Douxie was used to seeing from teenagers.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here," Claire said. Her voice sounded weird and sent shivers down Douxie's spine. He tried to ignore it. This was his friend, a young girl, he had nothing to fear from her.
"It's better work than one might think," Douxie put his hands in his pockets. He knew that being a waiter wasn't the most dignified of work, but he didn't mind it so much. It was what he was used to, and it allowed him the flexible schedule he needed to fight off monsters.
Claire chuckled and Douxie thought he heard an echoey sound to it. "This kind of works suits you," Douxie stiffened slightly as he was reminded of her comment about him being a servant. Maybe she was just joking around, but Douxie wasn't laughing. "However, I have many plans, and I can't let you meddle in them."
Douxie frowned slightly. He didn't like this tone of hers. "If you don't feel comfortable with me being near your date I can arrange for another waiter to serve you." He would understand if Jim's jealousy and uncertainty was making Claire uncomfortable. Douxie could accommodate them. If he could make sure the others had a good time, he would do it.
"You don't have to worry about your work anymore," Claire said. She held up her hand and there was no imagining the golden glow in her eyes. Douxie unconsciously took a small step back, but all of a sudden the door behind him closed with a slam and locked itself.
Douxie shuddered as he felt magic fill the room. This was real, pure power, not the magic of hedge wizards that Douxie had gotten used to. He looked at Claire in shock and rising alarm. "Claire, you...you have magic?" He hadn't thought there were any other true wizards in Arcadia.
Claire chuckled darkly in a way that felt uncomfortably familiar. "More than you could ever dream of, boy," Claire took a step towards Douxie, who couldn't help but retreat in response. He flinched when his back hit the door, yet Clair continued approaching. She continued chuckling unstably. For someone so small and seemingly unthreatening, she was surprisingly intimidating.
"Claire, what are you-"
"Silence," Claire's voice shook with passion and magic. Douxie's voice got caught in his throat, and not just because he was nervous. Claire's magic was silencing him, and Douxie didn't think he could even resist.
Claire walked close to Douxie and brushed her fingers against his cheek in a way that really shouldn't be threatening but somehow was. Douxie cringed and drew back as much as he could, but he felt like there were bonds around him. As he looked down at Claire in slight fear he caught a glimpse of what looked like golden magic rope pinning his arms to his chest. He realized with a jolt that he recognized this power.
"Morgana?" Douxie said breathlessly. Claire, or rather, the witch possessing her, laughed, and there was no mistaking that tone now. This was the old friend turned witch and enemy of Camelot.
"Nine hundred years and you're still as naive and trusting as ever," Morgana said. "One would think you would have learned your lesson by now."
"Wh-what are you doing here?" Douxie asked weakly.
I told you, I have plans," Morgana said. The gentle grip on his cheek became sharp and firm. "I have nothing to fear from your young magic, but I can't have you running off to that fool master of yours." Morgana tightened her grip so much that Claire's fingernails broke the skin. Douxie cried out in pain as he felt his cheeks begin to bleed from the small wounds.
A moment later Douxie felt his thoughts become cloudy and his eyes became heavy. A sleeping spell. It wasn't as potent as Morgana's usual magic, which would have made Douxie fall unconscious in an instant, but being imprisoned and forced to work through a mortal girl had to make it difficult for Morgana to access her full powers. Still, Morgana's magic was nothing to laugh at. Even in her weakened state Douxie was not nearly strong enough to resist her magic. He fought it as long as he could, but it wasn't too long before Morgana's magic overcame his defenses.
Douxie groaned weakly as he lost all feeling in his legs. Douxie began to fall forward and would have hit the ground harshly if Morgana in Claire's body hadn't caught him and lowered him down gently.
"Rest, young one," Morgana said in a gentle tone that he hadn't heard from her in a long time. Knowing who she was and what she had become, it hurt even more than the cold hatred did. Douxie tried to push Morgana away, but he was quickly losing strength. He had no choice but to give in.
"This will all be over soon." Morgana's voice sounded distant and foggy. Douxie could stay awake no longer. Morgana pulled him close in an almost comforting way as he lost all awareness.
Jim had thought that fighting trolls had been bad, but he was much more nervous about this date. He was trying to stay calm and just be himself, but everything seemed to be going wrong. Somehow Toby and Darci made it all look incredibly easy. Being with Claire came incredibly naturally to Jim, but going on an actual date was completely different. According to Toby, everything that Jim did was wrong. Not that he would normally take Toby's advice on matters of romance, but Claire seemed tense and not like herself, so the date must not be going well at all.
When Claire had coldly referred to him as the Trollhunter, as though they weren't closer friends and dating, Jim had gotten overwhelmed and left the table to cool his head. Toby had immediately followed him to give him advice and a small scolding. They couldn't have been gone for more than a few minutes, but when they returned to the table only Darci was there.
"Uh, hey, Darce, where's Claire?" Jim asked in what he hoped was a casual tone, but his voice crack gave away how nervous he was.
Darci gave him a slightly pitying, slightly unimpressed look. "She went inside with Douxie, said she wanted to talk to him about something."
"What?" Jim and Toby exchanged alarmed glances. Toby gave him a nod. "I, uh, I'll be right back," Jim walked quickly inside the restaurant, anxious about what Claire could possibly have to talk about with their waiter. She barely knew Douxie.
Jim didn't immediately see either Claire or Douxie inside the main room of the restaurant. He was about to check the men's room when he heard Claire's voice through a closed door that was marked 'employees only'. Jim used to believe that he should never go places that he wasn't supposed to, but since becoming the Trollhunter he had come to learn that bending the rules when necessary wasn't too bad a thing. If Claire was in the back, Jim thought he could at least check in on why.
Jim approached the door slowly. He yelped and jumped back when the door was suddenly thrown open and Claire came storming out.
"Uh, hey Claire," Jim frowned slightly when he saw her scowl and the slight wetness in her eyes. Was she crying? "Are you okay? I swear, if that guy did anything to you-"
"Jim," Claire rushed to him and buried her face in his chest. The action felt as though she was distraught and looking for comfort, but her tenseness made Jim feel a little hesitant to really hold her close. She had been so distant all night. It wouldn't feel right to take advantage of her distress right now.
"What's wrong?" Jim looked over Claire's shoulder towards the employees room, hoping to find some answers. He froze when he saw Douxie's arm resting on the ground. Something was wrong, and while Douxie didn't really like the guy he really didn't want to leave him alone when he could be hurt.
Jim let go of Claire and gently pushed her behind him, just in case. He hurried closer to get a better look and he was scared at what he saw. Douxie was lying on the ground, unconscious, and there was blood dripping on the floor."
"What happened?" Jim hurried inside the room to Douxie's side. It didn't look like his back was hurt, so Jim rolled Douxie onto his side. His breathing and pulse were slow, but nothing too bad. It looked like there was a lot of blood, but it was from a few small face injuries, so Jim didn't think it was too bad. It wasn't too bad that Jim thought it was necessary to call an ambulance, but that didn't mean that they didn't need some help.
Jim looked at Claire expectantly. She just shrugged and crossed her arms defensively. "I don't know what happened. He just collapsed."
Jim didn't know how much he believed that. If Douxie had just fainted out of nowhere, that would be one thing, but the scratches on his face wouldn't have happened for no reason. Now wasn't a good time to worry about that though. He had to make sure Douxie was okay before thinking about what had happened.
"Can you go get some help?" Jim asked Claire a little tensely as he pulled out his phone. He figured that an adult, especially one of the restaurant's employees or bosses, would be able to do a lot to help. Claire frowned, but she sighed and turned around. Jim was a little confused about her cold behavior towards somebody that she seemed to get along with, but he forced himself to not worry about her. Douxie was hurt and had to be his priority right now.
Jim called his mom, hoping that he had remembered right and that she wasn't working tonight. After a few tense moments his mom answered and Jim let out a sigh of relief.
"Jim, how's the big date going?" His mom asked.
"Uh, I think we're going to have to call it short," Jim put his phone on speaker and put it on the ground. "I found our waiter unconscious and bleeding in the back room, and I have no idea what happened or what to do."
Jim's mom immediately slipped into her doctor's voice. "What's his condition?"
"He's unresponsive, bleeding kinda a lot from small cuts on his face. His breathing and pulse are way too slow." Jim's voice shook slightly. He'd been nervous and on edge because of the date, and throwing this on top of it was just one thing too much. It was overwhelming.
"Alright, honey, I need you to calm down." His mom said. "Are you at the bistro?"
"Yeah," Jim said.
"I'm on my way," His mom said. "In the meantime, if it's safe to move him, roll your friend onto his side."
Jim didn't bother mentioning that Douxie wasn't exactly his friend. This wasn't the right time for that. He just did what his mom instructed, making sure that the unhurt cheek was the one resting on the ground. "Alright, done,"
"Is someone else with you?" Jim's mom asked. "I don't want you to leave your friend on his own, but if one of you can find a first aid kit-"
"I already sent Claire to get some help," Jim said. Claire may be acting strangely, but he didn't think she would just leave somebody hurt like this.
He heard the sound of his mom's car turning on through the phone, and he immediately felt better. His mom would be here soon. She'd be able to fix everything.
"You're doing a great job, Jim," His mom said gently. "Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?" He did, but she should really focus fully on driving.
"I'll be fine," Jim said in his most assuring tone. "I'll see you soon."
"Just keep calm and you'll be just fine," Jim's mom said. "We'll do everything we can for your friend. I love you, Jim,"
"Love you too, mom," Jim said. "Bye." He hung up and turned his full attention on Douxie. He wanted to get the bleeding to stop.
"Hey, Jimbo, what's going on in here?" Toby came in and he stumbled slightly when he saw the scene. "Whoa! What the heck happened in here?" Toby looked at Jim in alarm. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," Jim said. He wouldn't hurt an innocent person, no matter how much he may not like them. "I found him like this. Have you seen Claire?"
"Uh, I think she's back at the table," Toby said. Jim frowned slightly. Why hadn't she gone for help? Shouldn't she be even more worried about Douxie than Jim was?
"Can you go find a manager or something?" Jim asked. "My mom's on her way, but I don't feel comfortable just sitting around until she gets here."
"I'm on it," Toby hurried off, leaving Jim alone with Douxie. He had nothing to do but wait and make sure Douxie's condition didn't get any worse. A minute later Toby returned with a middle aged woman and young man behind him. Jim got up and moved out of the way for the woman.
"Douxie?" She tilted his head slightly. "Hisirdoux?" There was no response, as Jim knew there wouldn't be.
"My mom's a doctor and she's on her way now." Jim said. Douxie was really young and had a job as a waiter. Calling an ambulance for him might be more harmful in the long run.
"Sean, I need you to take Douxie's tables until Amy gets here," The woman said. The young man nodded, handed her a first aid kit, and left. The woman then turned to Jim and Toby. "Thank you for your help, but I'll take care of it until your mother arrives. Please return to your table."
Jim didn't want to leave, but there wasn't a lot he could do. He reluctantly let Toby pull him to his feet and out of the room. Toby was talking nervously about how this complicated the date and whether or not they should still go to the movie, but Jim barely heard anything he was saying. He'd been feeling reluctant about the date before, but now his heart definitely wasn't in it. He had no idea how hurt this guy was. He'd been just fine ten minutes ago, and now he might need some medical help.
Back at the table their new waiter, Sean, came to take their dessert orders. Toby had been ecstatic to hear that their desserts would be complementary, as an apology for what they had to deal with, and as a thanks for helping. Claire hadn't ordered anything, she seemed really impatient to leave. Jim didn't order something either, because it didn't feel right to be rewarded for doing the bare minimum for someone who was hurt.
Jim waited tensely for his mom to show up. When he saw her arrive at the restaurant with her medical bag he felt like a weight was taken off his shoulders. Jim got up to greet her. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."
"Where's the boy?" Jim's mom asked, right down to business.
"Unless they moved him, Douxie's in the back room." Jim said. "Do you want me to take you there?"
"I'll find him," His mom said. "You just worry about enjoying your date."
"I don't think I can," Jim admitted.
"Then make sure you and your friends get home safely," His mom kissed his forehead. "I'll keep you updated."
"Thanks, Mom," Jim said. "I'll see you later tonight." He gave her a quick hug before he rejoined his friends, who were just getting ready to pay and leave.
Claire seemed even more distracted than Jim was, so he thought they would call it a night. He decided to walk her home while Toby and Darci, who just wanted to spend time with each other and get their minds off of what had happened, had gone on to the movie. Jim had thought that spending some quiet time with Claire would be good for both of them, and everything seemed to go well at first.
But then he found out that Claire was being possessed by a witch, and his whole night just seemed to go down from there. Between having to fight his girlfriend for his life, and then trying to save her from a medieval witch, a lot happened and by the time Jim had the chance to actually sit down he was absolutely exhausted and soon fell asleep
It wasn't until the next morning when Jim ran into his mom making coffee in the kitchen did Douxie cross his mind again. Jim, who had started to feel safe after the eventful night he'd had, felt his chest tighten in worry.
"Is Douxie okay?" Jim asked as he started to grab some eggs and vegetables to cook up some omelettes.
His mom sighed, and Jim didn't like the sound of that. "He's stable, but still unconscious. We're worried he might slip into a coma."
"What happened to him?" Jim asked. This wasn't what he had expected. His mom was supposed to take care of Douxie and help him get better.
"We don't know," His mom said, and she sounded very concerned and frustrated. "Other than the cuts on his cheek, which have healed up just fine, he seems unhurt."
"Except he won't wake up," Jim said quietly.
"Yes, except for that," His mom said. Jim hunched his shoulder slightly. What could have made a completely healthy young man fall unconscious? This kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen. It was unnatural...or magical.
Jim felt a shiver go down his spine as he remembered that Claire had been with Douxie when he'd suddenly lost consciousness, and she'd been possessed by an evil sorceress. Morgana must have done something to Douxie, and Jim felt incredibly guilty. He hadn't noticed that anything was wrong. If he'd known that Morgana was possessing his girlfriend he never would have let her around other people, and he especially wouldn't have allowed her to be left alone with anybody.
Jim had been blind to Morgana's actions, and now it seemed like Douxie was stuck paying the price.