Fang headed to the back of the shop, where she found Rumpelstiltskin, or "Mr. Gold," and Belle. The moment Belle saw her, she stood from Gold and walked towards her, as though she was protecting him and making sure no one came close.
"I'm sorry, but we're cl-"
Fang waved her hand and interrupted Belle, freezing her as though someone had pressed pause on the TV.
"Don't hurt her," The Dark One threatened as best he could in his weakened state.
"She's fine. I wouldn't hurt her, I just froze her in time."
The female Writer walked over to the dying man.
"You're looking healthy," She said sarcastically.
"Gee, thanks. Who are you and what do you want?"
"I'm Fang, and I'm looking for something you picked up from a wizard."
"I've picked up a lot of things over the years. You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."
"A charm, a necklace with an tear-drop-shaped gem and golden chain and clasp."
Gold sighed in annoyance. Fang knew that, had he been in a better state, he would've usually kept his cool and barely reacted, he would've been more condescending about it, but right now, he seemed genuinely annoyed and impatient.
"Once again, a little more specific, please."
"It contains the power of an Illustrator."
That got his attention.
"You're a Writer," He realized.
"You know of us then."
"Not much, most likely because your kind keeps it that way. I heard the tale from a man who tried to "Slay the Dark One and become a hero" and all that crap. Came to me able to draw without a canvas with incredible speed, and make his creations come to life. Of course, he didn't know what he was up against, and being able to summon things isn't good enough against magic like mine. He boasted about the power of an Illustrator, which, at the time, I thought was a bunch of shit. Talked about the Writers, who have the ability to write their own stories, and make them come true, and the Illustrators by their side who not only make the stories, but physical objects as well. Said he got the better half of the deal."
"Well, he was wrong about that. When put separate, a Writer is a lot more powerful than an Illustrator. Both are formidable, of course, but if creative enough, a Writer can get out of any situation, while an Illustrator would have a lot more trouble."
"Clearly, as I beat the man within five minutes."
"Slow for you."
"The charm or whatever did offer some protection. Just not enough."
"Well that guy wasn't born and trained an Illustrator. If he were a real one, then you wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Whatever you say," He said sarcastically. "Anyway, I took the charm and tried to use it, but it apparently only worked for the man that created it and captured that Illustrator. I wanted to create a magic bean, and worked furiously with the charm, but eventually had to give up. Now, if I'm understanding this right, you must be that Illustrator's respective Writer."
"Yes, and I want my partner back before someone either uses his power wrongly or the board chews me out for loosing him to a lowly wizard. Now, are we gonna do this the easy way, or are you going to try and get me to make a deal? You're dying Dark One, and soon the darkness contained within you will break free. I'd wager you only have a day or so at most left. A few days if you have a lot of willpower. I can't do anything about your dying state, and I'd never want to do something with my powers like bring your son back or whatnot or else I'd be killed for misusing my abilities. You're in no shape to start asking for deals, so just give the charm to me and let's get on with life."
He chucked weakly at her bluntness.
"I don't have the charm here in the shop. When I gave magic back to Storybrooke, the charm came to life again, but it still wasn't any use to me. Long story short, I threw it in the well outside the town in frustration when trying to use it again. It's probably still there, as no one's stupid enough to jump down a well just to get that thing that can't be used, and if someone fell down the well by accident or stupidly thought they could utilize it, it's not like they can use the charm to save themselves if even I can't crack the enchantment on it."
"Well, I'll tell any corpses down there that you said hello, and that they were idiots for falling down a well."
She poked him in the chest before moving to leave.
"I've made it so that you might stay alive until I find what I'm looking for. At this rate, it might give you a couple more days. I wasn't one for making deals, but I do believe in repaying my debts as soon as possible."
"Your generosity overwhelms me," He said rolling his eyes. "A few more days of pain? Great. Not to mention that now that I've given you the location of the charm, your little spell is probably gonna end me sooner than later."
"Never know, Rumpelstiltskin. Even Writers can get taken by surprise."
She waved her hand as she left and Belle suddenly unfroze.
"-osed," She finished before looking at the exiting Fang in confusion. "What happened?" She asked Gold. He sighed.
"Leave me to deal with her too, huh?"