Jim actually really enjoyed training, it felt right to battle in an arena like this, to duck and roll and snarl and weave in between swinging blades. The adrenaline made his bones shift and crackle, the magic of his armor and forming a helmet just as he transformed, thankfully he could excuse It. He panicked, screaming as a giant axe ended up throwing him into the wall of the training forge. With a groan, he fell down and was caught by Arrrgh before being put down. He sat on the floor, shaking his head and grumbling as he stood and stretched out his body.
"Jim! Jim! You okay buddy?" His chest felt like at the nickname, a low purr escaped him as he gently took Toby's hand, nodding to him. He didn't speak, knowing he sounded deeper than he did as a human, he took a breath and inhaled Toby's scent, trying to calm himself down enough to change back. He calmed down, dispelling the helmet and the armor after he was sure he'd gone back to his human form. He feigned a yawn, heading to his bag.
"J- Just shaken up, let me get some water and then can we call it a night? I need to sleep too, you know." Toby nodded in agreement, following Jim's example to fake a yawn.Blinky frowned, not quite agreeing with allowing the younglings to go home alone.
"We shall escort you home, to make sure you get the proper rest you need!" Blinky smiled at the two teenagers, prepared to guide them out of the forge before he noticed Vendal, a tall goat like troll holding a cane of orange heartstone. He stopped, panicked as he grabbed Jim's arm to steady the young Trollhunter, accidentally putting too much force in his hold and making the young whelp wince.
Vendal leaned down to inspect the tall boy, frowning at the faint smell of trolls on him. Truthfully, he smelled both of human and troll, since he stayed in both worlds. Vendal didn't believe changelings to have returned, yet the young Trollhunter needed to be judged by the fallen trollhunters themselves, the council would contact him when they chose to.
"Trollhunter, you must be judged before the council of those before you, place your hand in the SoothScrier." Jim looked nervously at the rising platform. It was large, too tall for him to reach in his human form and barely enough to stick his hand in, as a troll. He shared a glance with Toby and jutted his chin toward the stone, hoping to get the request for help over to his friend. Toby gave him a thumbs up and went over to the thing of moving stone and spinning, sharp teeth, crouching down and holding his hands out to catch Jim and push him up. The taller of the two started running, jumping as he neared Toby and let him push him up, allowing him to latch onto the taller part of the stone statue and force his hand inside, shutting his eyes from fear. It clamped down on his hand and he shuddered in fear, struggling to keep himself from transforming. He always had trouble with keeping the adrenaline from getting the best of him, and he waited until his hand was free to push himself off of the small tower, crying out as he forgot to plan ahead.
He prepared for impact, but found that he was caught in Toby's arms. He sighed in relief, opening his eyes and smiling at Toby. Getting up carefully and setting a hand on his shoulder, he gently bumped heads with the shorter boy, moving on instinct rather than thinking of the implications. He stopped afterwards, staring at Toby in uncertainty before looking toward the trolls that watched them.
"S- Sorry... Uh... What does it say?" Jim looked back at the SoothScrier, watching as Vendal approached it, the thump of his staff upon rock making his ears hurt.
"Inconclusive. We've never had a human before, the council doesn't know what to think of you." Vendal locked eyes with Jim, the boy looking nervously at the tribe's elder.
"And young Trollhunter, I implore you to avoid such intimate moments within public. It's not appropriate of a youngling." Jim gulped, very obviously sweating as he nodded at Vendal and gripped Toby's shoulder.
"Y- Yeah, sorry! Won't do it again Elder! C- Can we return home?"
Vendal tilted his head before nodding, retreating from the forge and going to continue his business around Trollmarket.
The remaining 4 glanced at each other and Jim blushed in embarrassment, fleeing to get their bags from Blinky's library before they were led home by Blinky and Arrrgh.