As Imogen drifted into her slumber, Emma and Jacob wandered off to collect some wood so they could keep warm through the night. Enoch took out the few soldiers and clay puppet's he had in his shirt pocket, and Horace gave him an uneasy look as the boy began to animate his 'toys' to play fight. Horace couldn't help but give a groaned "Do you have to Enoch?" And that was enough to set off another squabble that the two youngest boys seem to be getting into more and more often these days, much to many of their irritation. Often, Emma either had to step in, or they would throw the two of them out of the house to settle their argument outside and not have to subject the rest of them to their war of words.

This time though, there was no house to throw them out of, and as Imogen shifted uneasily in her sleep, Millard scowled, before he hissed at Emma from where she stood with Jacob, talking in low undertones. "Em, do something or Imogen is going to wake from those two arguing."

Emma raised a brow, wanting to question why exactly was Millard so concerned about Imogen just to be contrary, but Jacob squeezed her hand tightly, giving her a warning look. Deciding to let it drop for now, the girl instead just looked up and shot a harmless fireball in between the two, making Enoch squeak and Horace jump far away, before both simultaneously tried to look for the source, and was met with Emma's glare. "Shut it, you two. Learn to behave, or you're both going back."

Immediately, Horace gave an indignant look, but not wanting to be sent back and eager to prove his capabilities, he merely muted himself despite his look of faulted indignance, and stalked off to a corner of the clearing they had settled in, Enoch glaring at his back the whole time.

"Why did you even bring them? We could've handled this ourselves." Jacob finally questioned, as Millard returned to his quiet lookout over a sleeping Imogen, and the hollowgast-senser bent down to help his partner in collecting some dry wood. Emma grinned, picking up a few sticks before straightening up to set back to their spot. "Enoch could prove useful if we need information from someone who is in no condition to tell us. And if Horace get's a bad dream about us, I'd really rather we be around to hear it. I know Hugh and Fiona would be a better bet, but I wasn't comfortable with leaving our home completely unprotected."

Jacob paused as he mulled over her logic, before finally shrugging and giving Emma a sheepish smile. "I have to say, you definitely are better at this leading thing then I am. I just fight."

"And you're the best fighter I've ever known." Emma replied loyally, laying the dried wood in a heap right in the middle of their clearing, and setting it on fire. "I know you've been feeling quite useless with us since the hollowgasts and wights were demolished, but you know you're going to have to knock into that Feeling of yours again, so long as we're here, right?"

It was only when Emma brought it up, that Jacob's eyes widened, blinking as the truth of her words sunk in. Considering Jacob's peculiarity was sensing wights and controlling hollowgasts, that there was none of them in their time meant he had to get over being disappointed over his peculiarity being rendered useless from then on. Miss Peregrine had comforted him saying his was a unique one that manifested and evolved as they needed it, but until this day Jacob was still waiting for a separate way his peculiarity would evolve to suit their needs.

But now that the chance for him to exercise that weakened muscle of his was a mixture of excitement and dread, palpable within him. Having spent years without even having a chance to practice controlling a hollowgast, Jacob wasn't too sure if he could pull it off. That Feeling though, was something he wasn't like to forget anytime soon, not after it always brought such destruction after it.

"Jacob? Love? Are you okay?"

Emma's voice snapped Jacob out of his reverie, and he blinked a few times before nodding to reassure her. "Y-yeah. No problem. I just… it's been awhile since I controlled hollowgasts, Em. Not sure if I have it in me anymore."

"All of us have it in us, Jacob." She smiled, the curl of her lips that he had first fell for, and didn't think he'd ever get tired of seeing. "Don't worry about controlling yet, I'm still hoping we don't have to get that far. Just be an alarm system for now."

Jacob laughed, and would've leaned in to kiss her had a loud cough not sounded from where Imogen had been sleeping. Caught by surprise, the twenty year old turned with a faint blush on his cheeks, only to find Imogen floating in mid-air, as if carried by… of course, Millard. "Uh… Don't mean to intrude, but past-Millard has just returned to the wagon we slept in, so I think I should go now. Imogen was sleeping, so I didn't think it was wise for me to just leave her at the tree."

"Of course not. Don't worry Millard, we'll be here when you return." Emma reassured, and her smile turned to a knowing one as she watched Millard slowly lower Imogen to the ground near the glowing embers, carefully tucking his rolled up sweater under her head. "You know Millard, it doesn't hurt to try-"

"Try nothing, Emma."

"Why not?"

"She can't see me. Nothing can come out of it." His voice held such a wealth of despair, dead-ends and hopelessness that Emma seem to subconsciously reach out from him. But it was Jacob who spoke up, addressing Millard. "But Imogen… I don't think she'll mind. Ever thought of asking her?"

"What right do I have to subject her to someone she can't even see? She won't even know I'm around."

"Millard, trying has never killed anyone." Jacob pleaded, only to be met with silence. After a minute or prolonged nothing, he called out Millard's name, and rolled his eyes when he was met with silence again. "If anyone has ever said conversation was frustrating, they should try talking to an invisible guy." The male muttered, as he wandered with Emma towards a spot next to Imogen, both prepared to keep up until their friend returned.

By the time Imogen rolled around to wake up the next morning, the first fingers of dawn already raced across the sky, when the branches cracked of their own accord, signalling Millard's return. Emma and Jacob who had been entwined with each other, started stirring at the noise. Enoch woke up with a start, Horace at a much slower pace, groaning and turning around trying to block out the sound and the creeping light. Millard however, made it straight for the stirring Imogen, kneeling down as her green eyes blinked open only to notice a floating headscarf.

"Millard?"

"How you feeling?" Imogen blinked at his question, for she was more curious on how his conversation with Radi went instead, and the girl voiced her questioned. Millard grinned to himself when he heard it, figuring that if she could ask that, she probably felt fine, before proceeding to settle himself next to his backpack and pulled out some tins and a loaf of bread, passing them to Horace for breakfast before he spoke.

"Radi was a little confused that I supposedly came back right after I left, but he settled down to tell me the story of the works in a different way from Madam Dust, which was why I suggested him." Taking a swig of water from one of their various canisters, Millard seemed to compose himself before speaking again. "He used to travel through various loops, someone who often visited tourist loops and such to help out before disappearing again. The Gypsies sometimes met him during his travels, for they helped to find various herbs and medication he would purchase from them."

"Is he a syndrigast?" Enoch asked.

"Radi thinks so. He's mentioned that he's had no training as a healer, yet somehow he knows exactly what herb to use. He's seen it, apparently, for the healer often helps if he happened to be around if a gypsy or two got injured or was ill."

"But….? I'm definitely sensing a but here." Emma started, when Millard tapered off. The invisible individual fell silent, until the rest almost thought he had left before his voice piped up again, worry evident in its tones. "That's it, though. He's… very difficult to find, according to Radi, especially after the recent flurry of hollowgasts and wights capturing people."

"And I thought we had left all of that behind." Enoch huffed, earning himself a glare from Horace when he passed out a plate filled with bread and beans. It wasn't long before Millard was too busy stuffing his face to continue talking, that is, not until Imogen spoke up. 'How difficult does Radi mean, Mill?"

Millard paused mid chew, which was clear to see how the toast stopped almost as if someone was going to take a bite out of it, before it returned to the plate uneaten again. Imogen could almost see Millard pondering, before he spoke again. "He could be anywhere, but Radi named me a few places he frequented. Thing is… it involves more boats."

At that, Emma, Horace and Enoch all blanched simultaneously. Even Jacob winced, whilst Imogen blinked as she stared at their reactions in surprise. "Why?"

"If you must know, the very first time we went off our island when the hollowgasts attacked, we had to flee in a boat. And then our boat capsized and we were all stranded with nothing of value to us."

"I still think if we had managed to salvage some of our belongings, our days wouldn't have been so bleak."

"That's easy for you to say, you fop. All you need are clothes to keep you happy." Enoch snarled back, only to have Emma snap at them to keep silent again. "What is wrong with the both of you? Stop attacking each other's throats, we still need to find that healer to help Miss Peregrine." Emma reprimanded, reminding Imogen a little of how their own Headmistress dealt with the two of them. She couldn't help but raise a brow when Enoch pointedly looked away from Horace, but decided to leave them be and instead turned back to Millard. Their questioning looks must have been obvious enough, for the male quickly swallowed before continuing.

"Radi mentioned that the island loop he resides in has its entrance in a remote island, only accessible by boat. It's called Trista de Niue, and according to the Map of Days mostly inhabited by seals and penguins."

"Boats, though." Emma muttered, not at all liking water in the first place. Jacob took her hand and rubbed it between her palms, but Imogen's features were thoughtful for a while, before she asked, "Do the Gypsies have any boats?"

Millard thought for a bit, before shaking his head. "They've got plenty of horses, but no boats. Gypsies aren't fond of sea travel." Imogen frowned, meeting a little roadblock, before turning to Emma. "How far is the sea from here, and which direction do we have to go to get to Trista de Niue?"

"If I got the Map right in my head, we should head off the North Coast, and if we use a regular boat, would take us about half a day of sailing to get there."

"You have the map in your head?" Imogen gasped in surprise, a little admiration in her eyes which Millard flushed when he saw, and answered modestly. "I just like to read."

"He's a sponge for information." Emma tried to encourage, much to Millard's horror and embarassment.

"A walking dictionary you mean." Enoch dryly commented with a snide tone, earning himself a whack from Horace and a glare from Emma. Enoch was about to fight back to Horace when Jacob grabbed the younger boy by the scruff of his neck and growled. "Enough, you two. Miss P is waiting for us, and I don't think you want to leave the other's alone for so long do you? Knock it off so we can find what we need and quickly return to help Miss Peregrine."

"What's wrong with leaving them alone? We have now wights or hollows to be afraid of now, and we haven't left our Home for a year at least." Horace piped up for once, his eyes a tad mournful. "Miss Peregrine said she'll bring us on occasional holidays,but-"

"She's the head of the Council of Ymbryne's now, Horace. You've got to understand that she's been a bit busy over the past year. The Council have been trying to get the remaining loops organized. Not everyone got our ages reset you know." Emma started, in a tone that suggested she was quite frustrated with the younger ones. "We were just… well, I don't know if you'd call it lucky that we were in Abaton, but you guys know what I mean." Horace heaved a heavy sigh, but said nothing and instead returned to his last piece of toast whilst Enoch just sulked with his clay soldiers.

"They are restless, aren't they? That's why you brought them along as well?" Jacob asked, raising a brow at Emma, who just nodded without a word. Imogen blinked, an unspoken question which Millard answered while Jacob put out the remaining embers. "We spent a year in modern life with Jacob's family, but none of us could get used to the judgemental looks their parents gave us, so we left to go to our Home. The younger ones still itch to head outside on their own though, even if they aren't anywhere near ready yet. Even I'm not ready, and I'm already twenty."

Imogen gave a thoughtful look to the two sulking boys, and surprised Millard when she smiled. "Perhaps I can help with that once we get home."

"Home?"

"To Miss Peregrine."

"Well, that was quick. I would've thought it would take a while before you will consider our place home." Millard mused out loud, his tone containing elements of both pleasant surprise and delight that he couldn't hide. Imogen grinned, bending down to clear up their area as the sunlight flooded in. "I can't help it. I like the people around."

Millard turned back to look at her, his chest pounding when he noticed the way her eyes were trained on his position. Sure, he was wearing his scarf and clothes, but he was still invisible, as far as the twenty year old peculiar knew. So why did it feel like their eyes just met?