Juggling his time between school, Trollmarket, and learning the ways of changelings from both Stricklander and Douxie, was getting tiring. But, he'd gained a new brother from the 900 year old wizard, he trusted Douxie after coming to the bookstore his entire life.

The young kid was a beloved customer to both Douxie and Archie, they knew him from his visits of adolescence till now. The boy was odd, mumbling to himself and always going for the trollish cookbooks. Yes, it was weird, and very suspicious, but neither had thought nothing of it. until Jim and Tony came running to the bookstore with Bular chasing them, snarling at the human and trollish whelp through the window.

Merlin had demanded he keep out of the trollhunters business, but this Trollhunter was a young Changeling, someone who had never seen the magical world, he had to help.

At first, he started taking them to school, visiting them when they were free. He surprisingly got along well with Barbara, she was a kind woman and a good mother from what he could tell. It was sweet how she accepted Jim despite his non-human form. Everytime he saw it, he felt a pang of longing.

Douxie didn't have a car, but he did have a motor bike -and an attachable side car for Zoe or Archie- so it was enough room for the three of them to sit and to put their bikes in. Every morning, he took them to school before his shifts at the cafe, which eventually earned them a lot of attention. Most were students questioning who he was, and others were simply staring, which made the wizard quite uncomfortable.

One morning, he noticed her. Claire, the popular girl of the school who was involved in Theater, and was the major crush of both Toby and Jim. It was cute in a way, and he'd admit that if he were interested, she was cute. But that wasn't what caught his attention, the feeling of magic was what piqued his interest. It was dark, festering, and powerful. It was Shadow magic, and it reminded him far too much of Morgana.

Morgana had been a powerful sorceress, who fought fiercely for any magical spirit, and that was beautiful. It was a shame she became corrupted by her power...

"Hey, Doux!" Douxie jumped, his lingering thoughts halting at the sound of Jim's voice and before he knew it, a paper lunch bag was thrusted into his hands. He blinked, looking at a beaming Jim who trapped him in a hug, he felt a gentle nuzzle against his shoulder, and it reminded him of Archie. He let out a small laugh, smiling fondly at the loveable young whelp he'd chosen to help.

"Love you Doux, I hope you enjoy your lunch. Archie helped me make it!"

Douxie blushed, another laugh bubbling up as he returned Jim's grin.

"See you guys later, love you too." He murmured it, and Jim let out a soft purr before he pulled away and helped Toby take their bikes out of the sidecar. After they got their bikes out, they led them to the bike rack and locked them up, sending waves at Douxie before rushing inside. He grinned, unable to stop the warmth within his chest as he drove away from the school. It was time to get to work.

--

Douxie enjoyed working at the bookstore, since it was technically Merlin's magical sanctuary within the modern world. Yes, the world was amazing with it's advancements, but some days he just needed some time in the bookstore to remind him of home.

Camelot had once been a majestic and sprawling kingdom, a place he once considered home. Now, home was right here in this little bookstore with his chosen people. He was dusting the shelves and putting away new books, humming to himself and among his own thoughts. Until the door opened and rang as a person walked inside.

The individual was wearing a purple jacket, the light pink shirt with the Papa skulls graphic made him smile and nod to himself, the head of black with a streak of blue was enough for him to recognize her.

Claire Nunez, daughter of Councilor Ophelia Nunez. She was kind, but mischievous and Cunning, her mannerisms and magic far too similar to Morgana to be a coincidence. Was she possessed lately? No, no, he would've sensed. Well, he needed to teach her soon so she could avoid the danger of possible possession or a magical episode. He was going to have to do this the hard way, wasn't he?

"Hey... Do you have anybooks on... Uh, changelings?" Claire bit her lip, digging deeply into the skin until she drew blood. Douxie paused, staring at her.

"W- We do, just give me a moment to fetch it." He made eye contact with Archie, who was lounging on the counter in his cat form.

Claire nodded patiently as Douxie slunk into the storeroom, looking for one of the few books they had about changelings. The book was thin compared to other trollish books, and after skimming through it, he thought it was best to give her a small pamphlet guide to trollish. Something he'd done years ago for young magic users and any whelps that may struggle to speak it. It was surprisingly useful, and as he brought both back to the front counter he noticed Archie purring as Claire gently stroked his head. It was cute, and really domestic. He couldn't resist getting a picture of it, the consequences of Archie's embarrassment be damned.

"Here you go, a guide to changelings and a starter guide to the language inside. Just think of it like a big puzzle, yeah? Now, this is a super rare book so we can't really sell it, but you're allowed to rent it if need be. It's about 30 Dollars a month, so not too much." He was lowering the price, and very much lying through his teeth. Claire was looking at him with a smile, seeming relieved for both the book and the guide.

"Thanks so much! Here's the first payment, that's like my entire month's allowance." Claire laughed it off and Douxie's eyebrows pinched in confusion. What the hell was an allowance?

"Could I maybe get your number, if I need help translating?" Claire pressed three ten dollar bills onto the counter, which he took and set in the register. He mentally cheered, pleased that things worked so well for him already, and hoping he can pass on a good word for his brother.

"Absolutely, let me give you my number." They exchanged numbers, and as Claire left, Douxie raised his hand, summoning a small white card with his contact information before he threw it at Claire's bag, which it vanished into with a smokey burst of blue magic.