Walt looked over his shoulder for the third time and Barbara grabbed his hand. He quickly looked back at her with wide eyes. She squeezed his fingers and pointedly lifted her eyebrows at him.
"You look suspicious, stop jumping at everything before loss prevention decides to start following us around."
"We're in a furniture store. What are we going to do, grab a recliner and run? But, sor-ry for exercising a little caution when there's a price on my head."
"I'm not telling you not to be on alert, just stop being so obvious about it. Now, what do you think about this one?"
Walt sighed as he ran his free hand across his hair, and a small smile tugged at his lips despite himself. Then he looked at the couch in question and his nose wrinkled in disapproval. The sofa before him was a dark orange and looked like it had been upholstered in burlap.
"That depends, I suppose, on whether you actually like it or if you're still looking at price tags like I told you not to do."
Barbara waved her other hand at him dismissively, "I don't know, it looks kind of comfortable."
"It looks like vomit."
He laughed as she dug her elbow into his side before he pulled her across the room to a different display. He stopped in front of a simple black sectional with a matching ottoman. The cushions were large and looked extra plush, like one would sink in once seated. Barbara had to admit it looked a lot nicer than the one she had suggested.
She sat down to test it and pulled him down with her, "Alright, you win. This one is great." She leaned further back and let out a little huff. "So," she closed her eyes and let her head drop back, "what now?"
"Well, now, if this is the one you want we hunt down an associate and–"
"No, I mean what now? Do you have any sort of plan?"
Walter gave a low hum as he thought about her question.
"Originally, I was going to work as a double agent to keep tabs on the Order. If there had been any exploitable weaknesses, I would pass the information along or sabotage them myself. Your son is never going to know peace with the Order's current leadership. In the abstract, his enemy is Gunmar himself but as he is in the Darklands and many of his minions are not, we would have to work systematically to bring down his army, one limb at a time until only the head remained."
"So, we do that. Do you have anyone you could trust to work on the inside? You said once that there were others who thought like you and didn't want any troll war lords destroying the world."
He laughed and shook his head, "I'm afraid it wouldn't be nearly that simple. Not liking the company is one thing, actually quitting is quite another. Even if I knew of a few I thought I could trust, anyone who might be able to do anything useful is currently not in this country. Besides, despite the prevalent idea that other changelings are all we have, most are only too eager to sell one another out. It's how we were raised and the enforced idea of every troll for themselves is a hard one to break."
When she didn't immediately answer he looked over and caught her running her finger along her bottom lip while her eyes gazed absently into the middle distance. He had come to associate it as her thinking face and though he found it endearing he was already bracing himself for trouble. This was the precursor to her saying something outrageous and then badgering him until he eventually agreed to go along with it. She didn't disappoint.
"What about Otto?"
"No. No, no. He can be trusted as far as he may be thrown, which is to say only a little, and with the expectation of pain and a dislocated spine. That last sometimes literally."
"But he called to tell you about the attack! Wouldn't that suggest that he likes you enough to risk giving you a warning?"
He shook his head and got back to his feet, lending her a hand to pull her up as well. "Hardly. He is not one of the few who weren't looking forward to Gunmar's return. His call was likely more of a taunt than a warning. If anything, we've known each other for so long he probably thought it only sporting that I should be prepared for a fight, and not that I'd survive long enough for him to regret it."
"With such wonderful friends it's no wonder you're so well adjusted."
"You have no idea."
O-_-o-_-O
Draal turned around at the sound of footfalls coming up from behind him. He was relieved to see that it was only Aaarrrgghh. His friendly smile faltered some when he saw the grave look on the other troll's face.
"How does the morning find you, my friend?" The greeting was polite but without formality. Having once been leery of Aaarrrgghh, he now considered him one of his only true friends, especially after the passing of his father and his falling out with most of the Market. The larger troll might have trouble with articulation sometimes but he was intelligent and loyal, and Draal found that he honestly enjoyed his company. If there was something wrong, he wanted to know.
"Question."
"Yes?"
"Stricklander... is a friend?"
Draal's brows rose a fraction. Aaarrrgghh couldn't know what he intended to let Jim do, could he? Then the question actually registered. The changeling wasn't a friend but he hadn't been able to see him as an enemy since the previous evening. He didn't think that was what was being asked, though. The real question was if Stricklander could be trusted.
Draal took a small vile out from behind his back and answered, "I believe he is honest about defecting to our side but this will let us know for sure."
Aaarrrgghh's mouth pulled into a frown as soon as he recognized what he was being shown. It was a very controversial concoction and he wondered where Draal had even gotten it from. But he nodded without comment. Unconsciously, he rubbed his injury as he searched for his words. Finally, he simply lifted his arm for the other troll to see.
"What's this? What happened?"
"Creeper's Sun."
Draal's eyes widened in horror and he immediately moved forward to look closer, being careful not to touch. "How? Who else knows? How- how long do you have until it spreads?"
"Been moving slowly. Only Blinky and Vendel. Don't know how long." He fidgeted in place, clearly uncomfortable before getting to his point. "Can't find a cure. Would Stricklander know one?"
"I do not know," he looked down at the swirling yellow liquid he held, "but we could certainly find out. We should let Jim ask his own questions first, but before this wears off we will ask him to tell us if there is a way to undo this curse."
Aaarrrgghh shook his head, "I should stay. Blinky is not sleeping. Worse as a human." He didn't want to be gone too long in case his friend woke up. He needed to be nearby to make him go back to sleep.
Draal gave a dry chuckle, "That I can believe. Alright, I will ask him on your behalf." He hesitated a moment, his metallic arm awkwardly extended before he made up his mind and pulled his friend in for a brief hug. If pressed, he would blame humans for making him demonstrative in his affection, but to his relief Aaarrrgghh didn't question and merely shifted to better return the embrace.
"I will return as soon as I have an answer. Would you like this to remain a secret?"
Aaarrrgghh shrugged sadly, "Can't be for much longer. Others will see."
"Perhaps, but I would still be discrete if you preferred me to be."
The other troll nodded gratefully and Draal gave a clipped nod in return. He would try and catch the changeling alone, then.
O-_-o-_-O
Jim peeked his head around the door and looked into the living room where Strickler and his mother were directing the workers. He heard his former teacher say something about teenagers, pranks, and vandalism before he ducked back into the kitchen where he was making a late lunch. Sure that he would not be discovered he took the vile out of his pocket and looked it over with a slight frown. The glowing yellow potion looked harmless enough, never mind its luminescence. At the way Draal had talked about it he was expecting something more sinister in appearance.
He had not been given any suggestions on dosage, but he assumed it wouldn't take much. He didn't know if it had a taste or a smell, but if he put in too much he was sure Strickler would catch on. He couldn't take that chance so he carefully let only three drops fall into a cup of tea and stirred it in with an extra bit of lemon to hopefully mask anything that might give away the addition.
His trap laid, he turned back to the fish he was preparing and finished building the salad he planed to accompany it. Having to also feed his enemy didn't mean that he would cut corners in making his mother his usual standard of a good lunch.
Twenty minutes later and they all sat around the table. With the house empty of outsiders, Draal had come back up from the cellar and was watching with ill-disguised interest as he munched on some aluminum foil. Luckily, he was seated far enough back from the others that his rapt attention wouldn't be noticed.
He and Jim both held their breath as Strickler finally took a drink from his tea. The man made a face of relived surprise, as if pleased that it tasted good, before taking a second, larger gulp. It took all of Jim's self control not to grin or shout in victory. He still had to play this cool.
The table was awkwardly quiet as everyone tried to pretend like this was a normal afternoon.
"How's the food?" He would start small.
"Wonderful as usual, honey," his mother answered with a soft smile.
"Surprisingly delicious, I rather like the extra citrus you've added to everything," Strickler said with an approving nod.
"Better than the taste of human?" He would admit that was a bit of a jump but he had been playing nice since the two had come home, and he was tired of tiptoeing around his irritation.
"Jim!" His mother looked scandalized.
"Much better, actually. However, unlike many of my colleagues, I've never eaten a human. Bitten, yes, but your insinuation has missed its mark."
Barbara put down her fork and folded her arms, "Well, I suppose it was too much to hope for you two to get along."
"Speaking of your colleagues, how's it feel having to cut ties and switch sides so suddenly?"
"Lovely use of alliteration," the man said with an amused and caustic smirk, "you always had a way with words when you applied yourself. To answer your question, it has been more of a relief than anything. I wasn't expecting that, of course, but I do not regret the current path I am on."
"And why is that? You've been plotting for who knows how many years and suddenly you're okay with having to change plans?"
"It is a running joke among us but we changelings are remarkably adept to change. We swim with the current, we think on our feet, and we make the best of any situation we happen to find ourselves. This case is a bit more extreme than usual but seeing as how I was never mindlessly dedicated to Gunmar or his cause I have no guilt in abandoning them. Fear he was an inevitability drove most of my past actions and a crushing need to please kept me useful and gave me a high rank among his loyal brood. But, I was already going against the Order and their desires to serve Gunmar when I came back to Arcadia." His self satisfied smirk wavered a bit as he seemed to think back over what all he had just revealed.
"So you wouldn't just sell us out the moment you didn't need us anymore?" So far none of the answers could be proven to be true, but given the length of the replies and the candid nature of their delivery, Jim felt that the elixir was in effect.
"As unlikely as such a hypothetical opportunity would be, the answer is no. I have more at stake here than just my life or any ambitions for power." The man looked at his mother with such naked admiration that it made Jim immediately uncomfortable.
"You honestly like my mom that much?" He hadn't intended to ask that out loud. It was blatantly obvious that the man was fond of his mom– it was what had gotten them into all of this mess in the first place. But, as he had told Draal earlier, it wasn't enough for him to simply have a crush on his mother. That wouldn't magically make things okay.
"I do not merely like your mother. Barbara is the first to have ever arrested my attention and affection so completely. I could not imagine ever feeling the same towards another ever again. Anything I might have lost in this arrangement has been more than made up for in having a chance to be with her." His cheeks were faintly pink but he continued on, "I never intended to care so deeply for her. Even as I felt myself growing more attached I knew it could be a bad idea. All of my instincts told me to be wary and to distance myself but against all better judgment I continued to fall."
Barbara made a face, "Against all better judgment, hm? Better slow your row there, Mr. Darcy. You might end up saying something you will regret if you keep with these lines." Despite her words it did appear that she was slightly amused.
His eyes went wide and his blush darkened. "No, I suppose that didn't sound good, did it? Barbara, I am overwhelmed by your capacity to care. It was what first drew me to you. You are a warm glow to a heart too long used to the cold. The fact that you've never once feared me, and have insisted on treating me as an equal, as a person... I cannot properly put into words how much that means to me. You push, you argue, you hold my hand, all of this as if I'm not a monster. It's the first time in a long while that I've not been treated as a shifty underling worth nothing more than how I might be used. For that, I would die for you."
His heartfelt speech ended with a frown. Everything he had said had been true but it was far more forthcoming than he had intended. The delivery of that last line struck him as over dramatic, even if it was how he felt. Something about the past few minutes felt off. He leaned forward and sniffed his plate and then his drink. His eyes narrowed as he found the culprit.
"If this isn't poetic justice," he commented with a wry lift of his lips. He was both annoyed and impressed.
Barbara had been sitting speechless with her hand over her heart. Jim looked at her with a frown. She looked dangerously close to forgiving the man. It was good to know that Strickler wasn't lying about changing sides but that didn't make him any less frustrated with having his long time adversary exchanging doe-eyes with his mother. He slammed his fist on the table.
"Oh, come on! He's still a jerk! So he's not trying to kill me anymore, so he actually really likes you and it isn't an act or some weird infatuation, but that doesn't just excuse everything!"
"Jim, we talked about this this morning," Barbara said with a disapproving frown.
"Yeah, I know mom, and I love you but you don't know him!"
"James, if I–"
"No! I really don't want to hear it. How many people have you killed, anyway? What's the worst death you've been responsible for? And you act like that kind of thing doesn't matter anymore?"
"Jim!"
Strickler's face lost all of its color in an instant. He swallowed thickly but already he felt the answers fighting to come out. "I– I don't know an exact number. I am very old and I've never wanted to keep count of such a thing."
Jim watched as the changeling's face contorted in discomfort, "What's the matter?"
"The worst death- the worst... I– I can't." His knuckles were turning white where they clinched into fists on the table.
For the first time since they sat down, Draal spoke up, "He's trying to fight the compulsion magic. If he continues, you may need to get him a bucket to be sick into. The elixir assures the truth and forces it out if needed. The results are not pleasant."
Jim's eyes widened with sudden regret. He had been mad but he didn't honestly want to hurt the man.
"I can't, not– not in front of her," Strickler managed through gritted teeth.
A small grunt of discomfort from Barbara had all eyes turning to her. She was equally pale and sweat rolled down her forehead. Her hands where clasped steadfast in her lap but she looked resolved despite the obvious pain. "What's going on?"
Jim looked horrified as he jumped up to go to her side. "Mom! I'm sorry! I didn't know it could hurt him! I used a truth potion; I had to know that we could trust him. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked something like that." He turned to the man, angry and desperate, "Just answer! Make this stop!"
With a jerky shake of his head, Strickler stood up as well. He staggered against the table for a moment but he made it to Jim. He grabbed his arm roughly and started to head towards the kitchen.
"Walt. What are you doing?"
He turned back to Barbara with a pleading look, "I'm nnngh– I'm not going t-to hurt him. I can't– can't say such a thing to you. Just outside..."
Barbara shook her head fiercely and stood up, too. Draal was beside her in a flash to steady her when her knees buckled.
"No."
"Barb–"
"No! W-whatever it is, you tell me now." She wasn't going to let him drag her son off to tell some horrible sin in secret. It had to be bad for him to fight this hard. He had just said how much he appreciated that she didn't treat him like a monster. It was clear he thought that would change if he allowed himself to confess in front of her.
He let go of Jim's arm and slumped against the wall. He was shaking now. The sheer effort to stay upright and keep the food he'd eaten in his stomach was its own battle. His eyes clinched shut as he gripped his stomach and crouched down, sliding along the wall until he was almost seated in the floor. When his eyes opened again they were a vivid red and glowing.
With an angry and despairing growl he surrendered to the magic.
O-_-o-_-O
Walter fled out the back door in a rush. In the silent aftermath of his admission the sounds of retching carried in from outside. No one made a move to go after him.
Jim was pale and looked properly chastised. He glanced at his mother where she leaned heavily against Draal and caught her breath. The pain left as suddenly as it had come.
"Mom, I'm – I'm sorry."
Barbara shook her head and waved a hand at him. She didn't have the strength to answer verbally just yet. A tear rolled down her cheek and she pushed herself away from the table and walked out of the room.
Jim heard her slowly make her way up the stairs and then the firm click of her door shutting. He turned to Draal with a pained expression and the troll gave a helpless shrug. "Should I... go after her?"
"Not just yet. I would give her time to collect herself, first. I've not seen her this badly shaken in some time." He frowned and turned towards the backdoor where outside it was now quiet. "What do you want to do about the changeling?"
"I don't know yet. I wasn't really expecting an answer, much less something like that. I– I didn't really mean to ask that. I was just mad. He and mom were getting along so well and after all the crap he put me through..."
Draal nodded in understanding. "What's done is done."
Jim drew his bottom lip between his teeth in indecision. He looked towards the stairs then back to his friend. "I think I'm going to go. If mom asks, I'll be at the Market." He wasn't running away, he assured himself. He just needed time to think.
O-_-o-_-O
Hours later, Barbara left her room. She came back down stairs to a quiet and empty house. The table had been cleared but the dishes were still dirty in the sink. There was a scribbled note hanging by a magnet that told her where Jim had gone but nothing of the other two. She looked over to the backdoor and sighed.
The sun was setting, casting everything into deep shadows and bringing with it a chill. Walter sat on the bottom step of her back stoop. He didn't move as she shut the door behind her and stepped down to sit near him. The silence was thick for several minutes until he finally let out a deep sigh and turned to face her. His eyes were a different sort of red, now. Puffy and bloodshot, it was evident that he'd been crying.
"I'm sorry you had to do that," she said at last. Walt started to shake his head, but she continued on, "I'm not disgusted with you. I'm horrified on your behalf, but I've known for a while now that you weren't going to come with normal human baggage."
Walt shook his head more firmly this time and held up a hand to stop her. "Subjectively, that was only the worst. Just because that night was forced upon me and there were witnesses to make sure I was successful, it does not make me blameless. There were countless others I was responsible for over the years. I regret that night but there are so many others that I did not bat an eye at. I will not have you casting me as some helpless victim who was forced to villainy. Made to do it or not, it was still by my hands, as were all the others."
Given what Draal had told her when she first asked about changelings, she had half a mind to tell him that a victim was exactly what he was– at least initially. Who knew what sort of troll he might be today if he hadn't been conscripted to be some child soldier in a centuries old war. But she wouldn't belittle him or erase his agency by saying so out loud. That was not what he needed to hear right now. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he startled a little at her touch.
"How old are you, Walter?"
His frown deepened as he thought about it. "Given that I can hardly remember my childhood, I only started keeping count a few years after I began living as a human. I don't have an accurate number."
"Well, after you started counting, then."
"This year will make three thousand, exactly. There was a solar eclipse that year, and at the time I found it terribly poetic that I should start to keep track of who I was as an individual along side such an ill omen."
Barbara's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth dropped open a moment as she tried to wrap her head around such a large number. She gave herself a small shake then snorted indelicately from her seat behind him. "Yes, that does sound like you." The wind picked up around them and she shivered. She gave two gentle taps on his shoulder to scoot him over then moved down a stair to sit beside him to block some of the cold. It also helped to drive home her next point, "I had to take some time to process everything. But, I've decided that I'm still not afraid of you."
He looked at her as if he wasn't sure how to respond.
"Are you sorry for trying to kill my son?" She had to settle that first before they could go any further. He had apologized for the Bond and it could maybe be said that he'd apologized in a general sense for being an antagonist, but this was important and she needed to know.
He nodded with a shrug, "I never really tried in earnest. If I had wanted him dead there were so many opportunities to make it so. I even called off overt attacks claiming they ran too high a risk of exposure but it was only to buy the boy more time. He was an endless nuisance when we were enemies and I didn't pull my punches when we fought, but even then I tended to treat it like a spar. Jim was always a favorite of mine, my fondness was apparently so obvious it had my loyalty called into question. But yes, to answer your query, for any of the times I thought he might die because of me and did nothing, I am sorry."
Barbara was quiet for a while after that. The sun had long since set by the time she eventually rested her head against his shoulder. "Nearly three thousand, huh? You did tell me that I couldn't keep holding you to human standards." She smirked, "Unfortunately, however, I don't like a lot of troll standards. You're just going to have to adapt to house rules."
He swallowed thickly and nodded once more. He didn't trust his voice just yet.
The bulkhead door swung open beside them and Draal poked his head out from the cellar. "Am I interrupting something?"
Barbara smiled and motioned him over, "No, we're done for now."
Draal sheepishly came to sit by them and gave a small huff before looking directly at the changeling. "I am sorry I told Jim about that elixir."
"I'm not," Barbara said quickly. She shook her head. "It forced an issue that might have otherwise gone unaddressed. It wasn't a very fair way to go about it but I'm satisfied with the results." Walter grunted from his seat beside her and she gave a light flick to his ear.
"Be that as it may, I am sorry it hurt you," the man said with a grimace, remembering how much pain the magic had caused him.
"Honestly, I've had menstruation cramps that were worse."
Walt's eyes widened comically, "You have got to be joking."
"I guess you'll find out in about a week, wont you?" She cackled at his look of comprehension and panic.
Draal watched the exchange with a keen eye and cataloged their closeness. Even after all that, she was going to accept him and continue this strange alliance. An alliance that had grown to something like friendship, if he were honest. Before the thought could distract him from his real reason for seeking out the changeling, he got to his point.
"Our friend Aaarrrgghh has been cut with Creeper's Sun. Do you know if there is a cure?"
Walter shrugged with an easy nonchalance, "Of course there is." At the look of complete surprise on the other troll he rolled his eyes, "It's commonly used for torture among Gumm-Gumm ranks. It wouldn't do as a reprimanding if it was a guaranteed death sentence. I probably have a book in my home library that would detail the needed process. We can figure out a plan to go and get it tomorrow."
"Just like that?"
"Well, I could hardly say no and not look like an ass, now could I? I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, as it were. It would be appreciated if you didn't keep acting like the world will end because I'm being nice." He got a pointed throat clearing for that and Draal chuckled with a shake of his head.
The relief was immeasurable. Draal shifted back to rest on his elbows as stars began to dot the sky above them, and a companionable hush settled over the yard. Of all the different expectations they imagined a few days ago, no one of them could have predicted it might land them here, with understanding and something like trust forging between them.
This chapter was very tricky and I really hope it carries the right tones that I wanted it to.
[EDIT] for those who read the original, I've aged Strickler up significantly than the 720 I had him at. I've recently stated reading The Book of Ga-Huel and we're working on a much much larger time line than I was originally thinking and I'm just making this minor tweak to mirror how long I imagine he's been in the game.
(for the curious, the date I used is Oct 24 984BC with this AU taking place in 2016)